Everyone Loves a Wedding

I've been so busy getting ready for the many events of this year that I have neglected to blog about them. I am in awe of how time flies, especially as an adult. I really need to create a timeline of events for the coming year before it runs away like this one has!

Our dear friends the Sibsons are excitedly making last minute preparations for the marriage of thier daughter Elya. She is to be married on September 25th, 2010 at our home.

We have been busy making preparations to ensure the yard is in good shape. Since the weather warmed in the Spring our focus has been on getting the garden beds looking good, planting new flowers, eradicating weeds and clearing out brush from the Scrub Oak stands. As the summer approached our thoughts turned to adding visual appeal. We found a darling iron bicycle plant stand, gazebo and planters which added an ever so charming look to our yard!

Our hill is looking really beautiful now and you wouldn't know all the problems that occured in late spring. A heavy snow felled our mature Golden Willow and we had to begin replanting on our hill with more sun tolerant plants but befor we could begin, there was a huge job in getting the tree and its roots out. It was quite a chore and we were so thankful for friends that worked tirelessly with Tom to cut, haul, drill and scrape all the debris.

Shannon McKnight has been creating lists,orchestrating people and planning all the details for the Sibson family in preparation for the big day.

The day is nearing and our storage is filling up with all sorts of decor. We look so-oo forward to celebrating Elya & Adams day!

A Must See Iphone App

Dining on Kauai

We've been enjoying the wonders of the Grand Hyatt Kauai property for three days and yesterday wrapped up the time we spent there. Tom & Kathi rode with the last of the Xango folks out to the airport to pick up the car we had arranged. Our new home for the next ten days is just down the street at the Paradise Suites, a condo community with pool that is just 600 yards from the beach.

Colli, Melanie, and Andy joined Tom, Kathi, Tyler and I at Casablanca for a great night of conversation and yummy eclectic international cuisine...kinda Italian Mediterranean with a beachy flair. I'd highly recommend the Toscana...it had a wonderful flavor. After the many comments from Andy (who is single) about his preferance for Ruebenesque women I decided... Ok, we're all getting loupy, its time to say goodnight :)

Ribbon Ideas - Club Scrap Addicts

I've been looking longingly at all those pretty ribbons in drawers on shelves and saved in snippetts here and there around my craft room.It seems I need a very long list of ideas if I am ever to use up my lovely collection...oh and of course the motivation is..... to be able to feel good about buying more pretty ribbon...am I right?
Well today while checking out a few sites on the web I came across this great piece...Ribbon Ideas - Club Scrap Addicts Thank You Club Scrap Addict!

There are so many great ideas! #46 is sure to be used :)

Forget-Me-Not Keeper Project from Stampin' Up!

Anyone who knows me also knows I get almost as excited about a good organizing idea as I do a fun project. I'm so excited about this idea because it works for both organizing and creating!

Day After April Fools Day

Why do I remember today...April 2nd in such a way? There are stories from our past that sit there on the edge of our mind, and when a phone number or car type or in this case a date comes up it reminds us of this strong memory.In my case it comes in the form of a shared experience with my great aunt, someone whom I dearly love. I credit her as THE most positive and beautiful mentor in my life. I spent the sweetest memories from my childhood with her family, (Bobo my great uncle, Nana the great aunt who I share about and Grace thier adult daughter who lived with them while these memories were impressed so deeply into my mind.)

Today is her birthday. Happy Birthday dear Nana...you are gone but not forgotten.
We spent many ordinary days with my aunt and uncle and there were many stories she shared. This particular day we talked about April Fools Day and the silly pranks some like to play. Our conversation took a twist and Nana mentioned her birthday...the fact that it was on Easter that year. She went on to tell us how it would only happen a few times in her lifetime...She was born in 1887... It happened on her 6th, 12th and 74th birthdays in her lifetime.


One of my favorite times that we saw one another was around the Easter Holiday. Each year Nana & Bobo would hand make an easter basket out of colorful chipboard  lined with easter grass. Inside the basket were the most exquisite colored eggs. The colors were rich and vibrant, no comparison to the pale dyed eggs with crayola writing our family colored each year together. They may have given us candy too but I really have no recollection of it...just the beautiful eggs. This story was ordinary, even though she was not. I celebrate you Nana.

Were not in the land of GOOGLE anymore!!??

So what did YOU think this morning when you hopped on the net?? I casually opened my browser set to my favorite search engine, Google to discover TOPEKA, and ok, I'm used to seeing the many different ways Google has dressed up their site but what is this??? What is Google up to now.... TOPEKA? 

I thought about it for a few minutes and decided that this past decade has been all about flexibility, change and being open to new ideas. Then I thought...OK now... why TOPEKA? wait...how will a less flexible market accept this change? Umm TOPEKA sounds like a word suggesting we can search for and find a topic.Umm...Wait a minute!! I've been PRANKED! Yup! Sure enough...It's April Fools DAY!