Happy Birthday Sydney!

I can't believe she's 2!

Here she is trying to tell you how old she is with her fingers...

We're working on it! : )
She loves to open presents.

My parents sent Syd her gifts in this big box. She loved the toys, but really loved the box!

Eating birthday cupcakes!

Nothing like a frosting mustache to complete the day and to signify a tasty cupcake.

Our busy weekend in Dallas

Syd and I went to Dallas for a few days last week and through the weekend. The main reason we went up was my best friend, Jenn, had her son's 1st birthday party. So we stayed at her house for a couple nights. Here is Syd and her daughter, Brinley.

Here are the birthday boys.

We had a great time at her house. We did some shopping and just caught up.

Then, we went to my brother's house for a couple nights. Here is Sydney and Karalyn holding hands! So cute. You'll never guess where we were going....

Ha, you guessed it!

I just had to go. They only serve chai cupcakes with chai frosting on Fridays! And we all know I love chai! Also, in the box is pumpkin (yummy!) and red velvet (also yummy!).

The girls did a lot of swimming. I can't stress enough how much Sydney loves to be outside and loves the water.

Now a funny story - Sydney received a bunch of balloons as part of the party favors from Austin & Logan's party. I was playing with Karalyn and I decided to weigh the balloons down so they would hover around Karalyn's head. Well, I underestimated the weight of the toy I tied to it and let go. Up and up it went, then around and around it went in the ceiling fan! Thankfully, it just took a few minutes to unravel. I thought it was going to be at least a good half hour before the fan was working again. Ah well, the moral to the story - don't let me play with balloons around ceiling fans that are turned on!

I also want to thank Natalie, a high school friend, for meeting me for lunch. It was really great to see her and meet her daughter! And apology to everyone I wasn't able to see. It's so hard getting to be with everyone with a limited amount of time. I know we'll be in Dallas again soon!

Our Upcoming Move

Hey everyone. We just wanted to let you know we found out we are moving back to Florida! We are moving to a different part of Florida though - the panhandle. We are super excited. Matt's going to love his job, we have some friends there, and we love the weather. Just a few months until we'll be Floridians again. I can't wait!

Memorial Day Weekend

Hope everybody had a nice long weekend. It's officially summer here. It's hot - and the pool has opened! Matt got off work early on Friday so we went to the pool. Sydney absolutely loves the water. She loved it so much, she threw a big fit when it was time to leave. We went back to the pool on Monday, thankfully (this time) we left without any tantrums.

Matt's parents came up on Friday night. The graciously gave us free babysitting for 2 nights! Thank you Karen and Charlie! On Friday night, we played tennis. I haven't played since moving here (since I left my tennis partner back in Florida). It was really great to play again. On Saturday, we went to a great restaurant (probably the fanciest in town - ooh la la!) and went to see Prince Caspian at the theater. It was a good flick. I think it should be rated PG-13, but that's my opinion. It was a fun weekend and everyone had a great time. Well, maybe not everyone...

Poor Dixie, succumbed to more harassment with Syd's new Nemo slippers!

More Randomness

My baking for the week was cinnamon roasted pecans. I had some at Tulsa's Mayfest last weekend and wanted to make some of my own. My pecans come from a very special source - Matt's grandpa. He has a number of pecan trees in their yard. Nothing like fresh pecans! Very tasty and very addicting! The recipe is found here.

Also, I had a couple good mail days last week! I ordered some Amy Butler stuff from RuralFabric on Etsy. Notice my new pattern. Yippee!

My sister-in-law is always so good to me. She sends me fabric on a regular basis! I love polka dots!

My friend, Lauren, tagged me with 3 random things about me. I'm really having a hard time with thinking of things, but here it goes.

1. My favorite cupcake(s): I love Sprinkles (but you knew that) and these Key Lime Pie Cupcakes we had down in Key West from the Cupcake Alley. One of the best I've ever had!

2. My favorite restaurant: Louie's Backyard (again in Key West). The food is delicious and the view from your table is indescribable.

3. Best lemonade: At these old hotel and restaurant in Waynesville, Ohio. I can't remember the name of the place. Crystal, do you remember the name? They have the best raspberry lemonade! It can't be duplicated, believe me, I've tried! : )

Does all the food talk make you hungry?! : )

10,000 Views!

Thanks to everybody who regularly reads our blog. We've hit a new milestone!

A Weekend in Tulsa - Kevin's Graduation

This weekend, Sydney and I traveled to Tulsa for Kevin's Graduation Party. We had a great time spending time with my family. Here are the pictures to prove it.

Me and Kevin - the kid is not so little anymore!

Sydney and Karalyn spend a lot of time playing (or should I say running) around. Sydney loves playing with Karalyn.

My dad and Sydney hanging out together.

I haven't done my weekly photos of crafts lately because most of them have been gifts. Here is a big project I have been working on. The are graduation hat boxes. They have M&Ms inside. It's all origami and the tassels are made from embroidery floss.

We stayed at Bub and Joanie's house. They have a small fish pond and a huge koi pond (swimming pool size). Syd was in heaven getting to feed all the fish. So here is a multitude of fish photos!

We also went to a festival called MayFest. We just walked around and had some festival goodies!

Syd's groovin' to some music. She loves to dance!

Whew! It was a lot of fun but we are exhausted! Time to go take a nap, right after I order some cupcakes! Thanks Chris. : )

Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyone is having a good day today! Just a few pictures. In Sunday's ad, we saw that Toy R Us had their water table on sale for $20 (usually $30)! We couldn't pass up that deal. Sydney has played on Karalyn's water table when we go to Dallas and just loves it. Usually, I just let her play in the sink but we have moved up here in the Matt & Becky household - we now have an actual water table! : )

Notice Dixie in the back! Far away and out of the "splash zone!"

And we couldn't let another day go by without cupcakes! These are made from a Barefoot Contessa mix (gasp)! haha. They are quite tasty. Matt bought the mix for me. I recommend them if you like coconut but my favorite cupcake mix is still Sprinkles. If anyone has other recommendations, let me know. I don't discriminate against any cupcake! : )

Happy Mother's Day

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. We all went to Austin this weekend. We didn't do anything much. I do have a sore right arm from all the Wii bowling we did! Nonnie (Matt's grandma) is a bowling machine! Here's a few pictures taken right before we headed to church.

Kisses!

Matt's cousin, Katie, and her husband had their baby dedication at church. Ashlynn is just precious and looks just like her dad. I couldn't get a picture of Ashlynn since she slept right through her dedication! : )

I'm so embarassed...

so show you my craft desk!

Yep, you see that 10" diameter circle - that's what I work on! haha. You'd be happy to know that right after I took this picture I was so ashamed and cleaned it up immediately. I can't believe I let it get this bad! It's really not like me. I guess I get so wrapped up in projects I just don't clean up. Gasp! Just to let you know - my sewing machine is on one-half of the kitchen table. So sewing is not even involved with this disaster! And no, the kitchen table doesn't look like this. : )

San Angelo State Park

We did a little nature hike this weekend at the state park. Here's some of our pictures.

We really didn't do much this weekend. We ran some errands and ate at a really great local sandwich shop. It's probably the first thing we'll miss about this town! I also did a lot of crafting. I did get a lot done but still have a lot to accomplish.

And the Winner is....

Congrats! I'll email you, Jenny, to get your address.

But I also did a second drawing for a small wrislet made of the same fabric.

And the winner is...

Congrats! I'll be emailing you too Kristy!

I have to say that I promoted this giveaway in my Etsy shop but forgot to give my blog address for people to enter! Oops! Well, it gave all of you good odds. Congrats to the winners. Thanks everybody for playing. I'll do it again soon.

Catch me, I'm about to pass out!

Holy Smokes! I am about to pass out. My heart is beating so fast right now. You will never believe where my felt food is going....Chicago Children's Museum! That's right not the San Angelo Children's Museum (not that we have one) but Chicago! Chicago! They are opening a new Block Party exhibit at the end of May and ordered lots of bowtie pasta for a play area inside the exhibit. I think I need to go back to Chicago for another visit! : ) I seriously can't believe it. God absolutely cares about the little things in our lives! I am living proof! Thanks for letting me share.

Don't forget the post below for the give away of a purse! I pick the winner tomorrow evening.

Give Away!!

Alright, my first Give Away! How exciting! I love making purses and feel the need to share. Here is an Amy Butler Frenchy bag using Joel Dewberry fabric. It is lined with the same upper exterior fabric. It also has a magnetic closure on the inside. It's just perfect for summer! Just leave a comment and how I can get in contact with you if you win. Either an email address, your blog address, or Etsy Shop Name. I'm going to pick a winner on Saturday night (May 3rd). Good luck!

I am also involved in another Give Away through Etsy Homefront Team, which is made of up shops that are either military or military spouses. This give away is currently running through May 15th. You have to contact me through my Etsy shop for a chance to win a felt fruit bunch. There are 19 shops participating. You have to contact each one separately (through their shop) to be entered for their prize. You can see all the prizes and link to everyone's shop here. Good luck to everyone!

April Crafts - Week 4

I've been busy with the felt food this week! Mostly, I've been finishing up some new foods for my friend Chris. I also made a little ladybug purse for Brian's daughter. And do you like the poptarts?! : ) I use to eat them with Brian, a co-worker and friend back in CA, and also with my brother growing up. Good times!

Also, I'm going to be having a GiveAway starting tomorrow and ending Saturday. It's going to be for a finished Amy Butler Purse using Joel Dewberry Fabric. If you are interested in entering for the free purse come back tomorrow (even though I might put it up tonight to get a head start). I'm also going to be doing a GiveAway with a group from Etsy. I'll give you more info about that when I get it, so for now - have a great day!

Sydney

On our way to the in-law's house this weekend, we stopped at a rest stop to release some of Syd's energy (and a dirty diaper). I just took a couple shots and I think they turned out great. She is really starting to get a "little girl" personality these days.

Teacups

We went to Matt's parent's house this weekend to help clean out some stuff from their shed. These teacups are a precious heirloom. They were originally Matt's grandma's grandma's teacups. Does that make it great-great grandma? Ah well. Either way, they are divine. Their are 12 cups and 12 saucers. Not all of them match which adds to the charm, I believe. I better learn to like tea! : ) Sydney, too, for that fact!