It has been 8 long years since I opened my home daycare business and tomorrow is my last day! I don't know whether to cry or be totally excited that I am on my way to a new adventure in life! It is sad, but I am so glad that I got to be a part of some very special childrens little lives and I hope that I brought a little bit of caring and stability into their fragile little worlds. I have watched many of them from infancy right up to school and still see some of them around from time to time. My have they grown, but I can still recall all the quirky things they used to do. I could go on and on. I will spare you of that. But I must vent just a little, but before I do, to all you parents out there (if they ever read my blog) that allowed me to be a part of your childs life - THANK YOU! I totally enjoyed them all! Now to all of you out there that always felt the need to be late (yes I am talking to you, the one that lives around the corner from me), I know that you were home everyday by 5 pm, yet you were always late to pick up your children!! Hello - you live around the corner, DUH! To all of you that paid me late, and made me ask you to pay me - shame on you!! I was never late to open my door and feed your children breakfast, lunch, snack and sometimes even dinner! How dare you pay the person who takes care of your children late, and then have the nerve to walk in my door on Monday morning and tell me all about your fun spending spree weekend - um that was my paycheck! Please take the time to treasure your children, and stop running around like chickens with your heads cut off. Make them breakfast and get them ready to school in clothes that aren't all wrinkled, because I would undress them and iron their clothes and them send them to school (yes I am talking to you again around the corner)! Don't share your stupid stories and all of your family drama with your next daycare provider, like telling me about your sex life and all it's craziness! Stop trying to make people think you are more than you are - you can often judge a book by it's cover!! Yeah - you really can, trust me! And finally to you, the one that still owe's me money - I am almost to the point of no longer wanting to be a "nice" person anymore, so pay up!! Finally I leave you with this, Little Miss Gracie, who if it wasn't for daycare, I would of never had her in my life! These are the moments that I treasure the most! So to new beginnings!
Little Miss Grace at 4 months and look at her now. All grown up at the tender age of 5. She has become my shadow, my partner in crime, sort of! The crime to torture Tommy, my husband. Oh she has him wrapped around her fingers and she's not letting go!
3D Design Challenge is having a little "3D design challenge" going on over at there blog. If you participate, you could win this super cool Urban Tote Bag! I almost forgot about the challenge. It took my like 15 minutes to whip this out!
Srapdango is having a great contest! You have to create 2 layouts and a card based off of some sketches. This first layout is based off a sketch by Lucy Chesna.
This next layout was designed by the owner of Scrapdango, Carrie Leavitt.
The card layout was also designed by Carrie Leavitt. You were to design a card based off of the sketch you chose for your layout and you had to use the same colors.
When you have crazy curly hair this is what is looks like when you wake up in the morning!!
Little Miss Grace turned 5 the other day! We went to Chili's for dinner, her choice of course! She was loving it when the waitresses came out and sung happy birthday to her!
So a while back I created a sketch for a layout and this is my take on it!
This is one of my favorite layouts with two of my favorite people - little Miss Gracie and my husband Tom. I love the little pose that she has going on! This was from one of our summer vacations to Navarre Beach in Florida.
Another view of the layout showing the dimension along with some hand stitching that I did.
I made this cute little box using this template from 3D Design Challenge. It is a super easy to make and only uses one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. I made a see through window in mine!
My good friend got married on September 5. Here are a few pics of Amy and her new husband Brett from their big day!!
She got him with the cake, but he got her even better!
Amy and my husband Tom.
The two Amy's. It is too funny that we have the same first and middle name!
I did this collage for my mom's good friend who adopted a little baby. Sorry for the glare - should have taken a pic before I framed it!
A mini album I created by using a template to cut shapes out of card board then covered with designer papers and embellishments. This first pic is my mom and my niece.
My mom and Grace at christmas.
Tom and Grace in Disney 2006.
My niece Haley at softball after receiving the game ball.
Another pic of Grace, Disney 2008.
Kids meals at Peg Leg's come in a sand bucket with a pirate eye!
So Grace had to put the bucket on her head...
and so did Uncle Al!! We tried to talk Big Dog into too, but wasn't having it!
Grace with Peg Leg Pete!
One of our favorite places to go out for dinner while on vacation is Peg Leg Pete's in Pensacola Beach. Grace loves it because it has a playground! She is trying to climb backwards up the slide.
Grace (in her favorite cherry dress) with our good friend Michael - aka Big Dog! Grace calls him little pup!
Grace and Tom waiting for our table.
Grace, Barb and this little girl who insisted that I took her picture after every picture that I took of Grace.
Our rendition of a sea turtle!! We can't claim to be the best sand sculptures!!
The remnants of Tropical Storm Fay blowing by us.
Tom acting like his goofy self!
Grace and Tom walking along the beach. There was a slight drop off and Grace told Tom she was taking the high road and he was on the low road! She repeated that from me of course!
