Popeye~

Last Friday night we ran down to Chester, IL. Home of Popeye. Its located on the border of Illinois and Missouri right along the Mississippi River. We have been going down there about once every 3-6 months to eat dinner there. They have a fabulous seafood buffet and its just quaint! You can find more information and history of why its the home of Popeye... here!

After all this time I decided I wanted to take some pics of the surroundings and although I didnt get the Bluto and Olive Oil statues I managed to get these shots. I love the one of the guys and their muscles. ;)

In other news.. Ive just been working hard and cleaning house like a maniac when I get home. I have lost my mojo to scrap or even shop. Now that is sad! But, Im hoping this weekend some of it can return as I do have tons of projects to do. And a wedding gift that will be late as of tomorrow. ;( ... So hopefully the next time I check in I'll have some more stuff of interest and a bigger, craftier post! Take care and have a great weekend!!!

... and dont forget to eat your spinach!!! ;o)

Lets hear it for Artie Lange!~

Well Saturday was the day that Todd and I have been waiting for since Fathers Day! Artie Lange came to St.Louis! Todd is one of his biggest fans! I had gotten his book Too Fat to Fish for Todd for Christmas, it was the perfect gift.. he loved it. It was just what he wanted! We even kept Sirius radio for forever only to listen to the Howard Stern Show so Todd could keep up. Eventually we had to let that go, but when Todd heard that Artie was coming to St.Louis .. I couldn't help it. I KNEW I had to get him tickets somehow! So, the Friday before Fathers Day I made my move. I couldn't sleep at all.. I so wanted to share them with him... finally Saturday morning I gave in and gave him his Fathers Day gift a day early. I thought he was going to cry he was so happy. hahaa

Sooo then we hear that there is going to be a book signing in St.Louis/Fenton the same day as the show. Well, since he had the book we decided it would only be fitting if we complete the experience by showing up to get the book signed! hehee.

Here is a quick rundown of our day Saturday. We got up, got all dolled up and ready... I was stressing hardcore because I didn't really have anything to wear and I didn't know the area I had to drive in and Hunter was going to be with us waiting for the book signing. And in general I was just star struck nervous ya know! hahaa. Thank God Todd was calm and helped calm me quite a bit.We get to the Barnes & Noble and there is a HUGE line.. there is NO parking and we have to park across a very busy highway to just be able to get there {this stressed Todd} hhaaa.. once we got up to the store though they had it very well planned out. They gave everyone bracelets with letters on them in 50 people increments following the alphabet. We were in the 50 of the letter L. So we went inside and waited for his arrival. They cleared the isle and he insisted that he make his entrance through the front door. There was massive cheers as he entered. I got this pic. Todd was holding Hunter up behind me.. I hope they got a good look.. haha

So after he got situated we stood and waited for our letter.. it took about 2 hours. There was a record breaking number of people there.. over 650!!! I have to say, Hunter was soooo good and patient. And we made it.. happily I might add. Here is Todd and Hunter waiting and trying to catch a glimpse of Artie, but if you've ever been in a book store, that's not easy with all those book shelves in the way! hahaa
As we get closer.. I wonder if I'll get a good pic and what will happen.. so nervous! Todd was so happy as he could see him and the wait was almost over!
We get up there and the helpers hand him the book and he is talking to his "people" about the hotel he is staying in and wonders if there is a casino there as well hahaaa.. Todd takes Hunter up with him, I was so surprised... but Artie loved it! He asked them how they were doing and told Hunter that he loved his mohawk!
When Artie saw that I was taking pics he stopped and looked up and posed for me.. Of course I got him with his eyes shut, but I simply love this whole pic because it shows just how happy Todd was.. totally wow'd! ;)

After we got the book signed we ran to the nearest open isle and opened the book to the signature and reviewed the photos. We were done with that part of the day and so very happy. We hurry back home {an hour drive} and get Hunter ready for the sitter and us ready for our night out on the town and Arties show! We stopped real quick for dinner and hit the road.. I was scared we'd be late and I drove like a maniac. Since there was no games in town that evening I thought we should get fairly lucky with parking.. and we did. We were exactly one block over! We walked through the alley and arrived at the theatre. I loveeee this theatre, so old and just beautiful!
We got to our seats and waited a little bit and then there were two opening acts.. they were hilarious.. unfortunately, neither of us can remember their names. ;( Then the moment we were waiting for.. Artie!
The last two are my favs.. toward the end of the show he rapped a song for the dudes and sang an Anne Murray song for the girls... It was hilarious, dirty, raunchy.. and we laughed and hooted and hollered and had the BEST time. I cant wait til he is back again.
ps: He really did look great and seemed to be very sober.. this made Todd even happier as he worries so much for Artie. I wish we could thank him personally for such a great time! Todd said it was the best Fathers Day gift ever! ;o)

pss: If you stuck with this post all the way to the end.. Thank you! ;) Another post coming soon of our visit to Home of Popeye... we lead a VERY exciting life around here ya know! hahaa ;)

Vintage Goodeness!~

ok.. so I grew up with these kind of things.. vintage* pillowcases, quilts and sheet sets... so I dont think much about them.. but this day and age.. everyone wants them... collectors are bringing them out and using, displaying and even upcycling them.

It just so happened that this past weekend I went to a garage sale of the little ol' neighbor man Ike that passed away and was able to find 7 pillowcase sets in all. I also found a crocheted blanket. Its so frilly and heavy. And just beautiful!...

I got to looking and googling vintage pillowcases and kept coming up with them being used as dresses for little girls. Heck I even found a skirt for a smaller {up to size 8} adult woman posted in Etsy. Oh and I also found them used purses. I cant stop thinking how cute these would be for all my lil nieces out there..

one problem.... well maybe two... I dont have a sewing machine and I dont know how to sew! So until I find someone who can, Im just going to hang onto these finds and see what happens... maybe I'll give it a hand try whirl. It wouldnt hurt to be crafty. Im going to practice on a plain one first. haha.

Here is a link to a pattern and a view of the dresses and purses Im speaking of!
Maya*Made and jennyrebel via etsy

Here are the pillowcases I got.. wouldnt they be so pretty as dresses.. or even purses?!

and last but not least the blanket I spoke of... I just love the detail!!!

Needless to say the search is on to find someone who would make some for me for a small fee or trade or try on my own! ;o)

Hope your week has been good.. I hope to post more after this coming weekend!

Bedeviled~

If you dont see me or hear from me for a while.. well this is why! I am addicted to the game on FB called Bejeweled Blitz. OMG. Not only am I, but Todd is as well. This weekend he played for THREE hours straight {no breaks} .. that is one game per one minute. For 3 freakin' hours. Then last night he stayed up past his bedtime and played 2 hours straight til midnight. Sooo not like him. While Im addicted, I am not spending that much time playing. Im addicted but not like that. I will say though that when I close my eyes.. I see this image.. burnt into my eyes! HELP! hahaHope you have a great week... Im going to go play now! ;o)

Organizational agony~

ok, so here is the deal. I cleaned and organized my scrapbook room so dang good that now... I dont want to scrap and mess it up. Arrrghhh. I have some serious cards to make and just cant make myself go in there. I even got some new adorable goodies from my friend Kimmy! I just cant go in there.

But, this weekend when I have tons of time, I think Im going to go get somethings done. Im also wanting to alter a few things. I have a few things in mind.. and got to get going on them or I'll miss their deadlines!

So what do you do when you find yourself in this spot? I need all the advice I can get!! hehee

In the meanwhile Id like to share this layout that Kimmy found surfing the web.. I dont know who did it, but I just think its hella cute! Ruby is a Cairn terrier and I can just see her in place of this little one. hahaa. Enjoy!!!

FAIL!~

Today is the day for 12 of 12.. and no, I didnt do it. I FAIL! ... on a side note, I laughed my butt off googling "fail" images. So go have a laugh on me.. and forgive me.. I promise to get back on the 12 of 12 wagon next month!!! ;o)

Turtle Land!~

Yesterday was a pretty sad day for me.. but there was one highlight {ok maybe two, but the other is non-important to this story}...

I had to take Justice over to St.Louis to the Zoo to meet his step-mom Amy and her Mom for the day. I got there about a half hour early so Justice and I went across the highway to Turtle Park. Ive always seen this park but never been! We didnt get to see all of it, but took these quick photos and got to have a little chat about "divorced families" .. never easy. But at least we did have some fun and that is probably going to outweigh or at least I hope any negative that was going on at that moment!

I cant wait to go back and get more pics with a real camera-not the phone! haha ;)

OH NOOOO the turtle has Justice!!!

I must put down this camera and go save him!!!!

Ahhh.. Justice was freed and reigned VICTORIOUS!!!

Have a great weekend, say a few prayers and go climb a turtle! ;o)

What a week!~

What a week ya'll... seriously! Im super worn out. Im just plum tired! I came home tonight and slept for a couple hours before bed. I just feel yuck. Ive had this nasty cough for 2 days.. its all that darn sinus drainage... but it makes me feel yucko!

Justice is going home tomorrow. Poor lil fella cried in my arms tonight. I just dont know what to do ya know. He wants to spend more time with me, but lives so far away. Its hard for him to understand the whys and hows to all of it and I hate not being able to make his hurt go away. I just hug him tight, tell him I love him no matter what and Im here if he needs me. I dont know what else to do. I pray every night for his happiness and hope that him just knowing I love him will help make him through the sad times.

This week I got to see my Mom.. she and her husband were in for a short visit. She actually spent the afternoon with me, by herself which doesnt happen often. Crazy that we didnt have much to talk about really. ;( I just feel so distant in comparison to the way we used to be back in the day. I guess we just arent "that" close anymore. Sad.

Well, I dont know about you, but Im looking forward to the weekend. I think some retail therapy should do this girl good. I need to get my nails done and thought Id look for a new purse or pair of brown flip flops and get some new scrappy stuff. Id like to catch up on some scrapping too. I think I should be able to fit some creative time in there somewhere.. ;)

How bout you? What are you doing this weekend?

Amie did it! haha~

Amie tagged me and its ok.. because we all know you want to know more about lil' ol' me..right?... right???.... I thought so! ;)

8 Favorite Shows:

1- True Blood
2- Nip/Tuck
3- Nurse Jackie
4- US of Tara
5- Rescue Me
6- Saving Grace
7- Army Wives
8- Andy Griffith Show

8 Things I did yesterday:

1- Hugged my Dad goodbye ;)
2- Went out to Chinese with the guys.
3- Took a long nap!
4- Did dishes
5- Folded laundry
6- Showered
7- Cried ;(
8- Texted with a fella named Chad from Indiana for an hour!

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1- Seeing my Momma tomorrow!
2- Wednesday off work!
3- Showing my Momma all my scrapbook work, chatting and catching up!
4- Getting my nails done.
5- Seeing Artie Lange with Todd on July 25th!
6- My 5th wedding anniversary with Todd {August 20th}
7- A road trip with Cat to go see Kimmy! {one day.. soon I hope!}
8- Fall weather!

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1- Lottawatta Creek
2- Bambinos
3- El Maguay
4- China Palace
5- Flat Branch Pub
6- Red Lobster
7- Zia's
8- anyplace different!

8 Things on my wish list:

1- To lose about 130 pounds and be healthy.
2- That my husband gets healthier.
3- House
4- To Move
5- A real life friend that lives HERE!
6- For Todd to get a new job that he LOVES.
7- That my boys know explicitly that they are loved unconditionally!
8- That I would never have to clean another bathroom again... especially the boys bathroom! YUCK!

8 People I Tag:

1- Linda
2- Angie
3- Cheryl
4- Cat
5- Kimmy
6- My Brother Daniel
7- Jenny B in Indy
8- Brooke

Weekend Review~

Well its Sunday afternoon and its been a great weekend so far! Today we are just relaxing and recovering from the driving and food and fun. Ive gotten through all my photos and will post some of my fav for ya'll. These first few photos were taken at St.Louis County Lone Elk Park and World Bird Sanctuary!

Hunter looking at me via an American Bald Eagle!

Justice at the aviary.

The lake at Lone Elk Park.

The crew feeding the fish & turtles.

Dad taking a break in the shade at the lake/park.

Todd and Dad chattin' it up while grilling at the park.

Hunter and Justice getting ready for lunch!

Preston and Rachel..I think they like each other! ;)

Todd at Lone Elk Park!

On the way home we stopped at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery where Todds Dad is buried. We drove around and looked all the grounds and the part of the grounds that overlook the Missouri River.

Statues and markers for the Unknown Soldiers.. sad.

We came home and had some strawberries and cake and then drove down to the Arch to watch the fireworks. I could not for the life of me get a good picture of the Arch/bridges and fireworks... but did capture a couple of the kids! I do have to say it was the worst display St.Louis had ever had. I felt sorry for building it up to Dad and Rachel. What a let down. The upside, we were all together and then went to dinner afterwards and had a great time!

Preston, Rachel, Hunter {his fingers in his ears almost the entire weekend-he HATES loud noises!} and Justice.

Yesterday Preston and Rachel headed back home, but Dad stayed behind and we got to take him on a little road trip up to Carlyle Lake and down to Nashville and Washington County Wildlife Area. {where Todd hunts every year and where we camped earlier this year}

The lake at Washington County.

Some of the black-eyed-Susan's we saw tons of them throughout our drive.

Now for one last tidbit of news... I was chosen to be Guest Designer at Creative Scrappers for July 2009 reveal!!!!! I am so excited and proud! Here is the layout that I did for the reveal. I'm so happy to be a part of that Forum, Ive met such good friends and gotten some awesome inspiration from all the girls over there!I hope your weekend was equally as fun... thanks for taking the time to look at my moments this week and always! ;o)

Happy 4th!!!~

Im officially off work for the next 3 days... sooo happy and relieved! The kids and my Dad made it up around noon today. Not after experiencing a car mishap with a roll of barbed-wire. They weren't even to the highway when that happened. I then had a near nervous breakdown and was scared til they arrived safe and sound.

We visited at my office for a little bit and then they took off to the big city {St.Louis-downtown} I worked til about 330pm and took off, since then Ive been making guacamole and pico da galo for dinner tonight and chopped up some other veggies to add to the fajitas too. Preston requested that we either have deer fajitas or meatloaf. We went with the fajitas obviously. I just like all the fixin's along with it.

Tomorrow we are planning on heading out to Lone Elk Park .. we've been there several times with the boys and they have fond memories of it.. so away we go to show Dad and Rachel. While there we are going to grill and have lunch.. come back and clean up and head downtown to the Arch to view the fireworks.

I have a big breakfast planned for Saturday morning and then will send Preston and Rachel back home. She wants to spend the 4th with her parents. Understandable. Altho, I wish Preston could stay longer.. well and Rachel too. haha. I think Dad is going to stay and Justice will be here for a whole week. So Im feeling really blessed right now.

I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend whatever you do. ;o)