The 2 Hour Tour

If you're ever in the DC area and are pressed for time....Contact my Dad and he can give you the "2 Hour Tour" ......

.......Friday, My parents and I took the kids into Washington DC. My parents live 15 minutes away, and yet, we hardly ever make it into the city. Too much walking, and Too many people. But....Friday was awesome!!! My Mom and I dropped Grandpa and the kids off in front of one of the Smithsonian's......and we went to park the car.....30 minutes later, we found somewhere to park, and called Grandpa to see where he was.....He'd already taken the kids through 2 museums.....I think it was one of those "Speed walking" tours, lol. Any one who's been to DC knows that one could spend a whole day in Just One of the museums!! LOL

Here's a few pictures I took while walking to find the kiddos...
I LOVE the faces on the side of the building.......If I ever build a mini castle , I definitely want a few of them!

The detail was just amazing! Actually all the architecture in DC is amazing. I really could just spend the day there talking picture of the buildings themselves!!!

Mom and I had to walk though the

National Museum of American History to get to the side were the kids were, and only really saw one Exhibit..... Julia Child's Kitchen.

The whole kitchen is on display! Sorry the next picture is a little blurry~ the exhibit itself is encased in glass...... Wouldn't this be fun to do in mini??? Loving her peg board! And her colors!

Out the front door, and we were off to find Grandpa and the kids. On the way, I stopped to take a few pictures of the Smithsonian Castle.

It wasn't until after I got home and put these pictures in photoshop that I realized my kids and Grandpa walked right by me while I was taking these pictures.....LOL....Look in the first picture, that kid all the way to the left is my youngest.....And in the picture below~ Grandpa is the one with the Waldo shirt on~ Too funny, HUH! Walked right by their own Momma!! ((By the way, we didn't lose my oldest son, he stayed here at the beach and spent the week with his other Grandma))

Once we caught up with Grandpa, I realized that I was getting a year's worth of walking down in one hour! I swear he was trying to keep up with the Segway tours!! I did manage to get a couple of pictures of plants as we ran by the gardens at the Castle~ Not too sure what these were, but they were pretty! And little!

And this big leafy plant had spikes on it!!

We walked to the other end of the 'Mall', but when Grandpa saw the line at the Air and Space Museum was wrapped around the building, he talked the kids into a carousel ride, instead. I'm not saying they didn't enjoy it, but there was that moment when I realized my babies aren't babies No more:(

Next, Grandpa...Yes, I'm using his name a lot...but He was our tour guide:)

LOL

Grandpa decided that we needed to see the Lincoln Memorial next. If you look in the picture below....You can see it over that hill, behind 'the big pointy thing' (as my youngest called it)....LOL Yup!! It was a hell of a hike!!

But I tell you what...It was the stairs to the Memorial that kicked my heart's butt! I lived to tell 'bout it and all, and it wasn't traumatic or anything, Just wore me out! LOL.....

But seeing that big ole Abe Lincoln statue was worth it!

After Lincoln, we left DC. On the way out, we got the 'windshield' tour...... Grandpa knows what everything is!! We went over to the The National Harbor for dinner, and then a little bit of shopping. The Harbor is a very 'Posh' shopping area, with art work everywhere! It would be such a inspirational place to live:) Oh, And Disney just bought a big chunk of land right next to it to build a resort!! Can't wait to see what they do!

Look at this awesome picture of the kids! I love it when they pretend to like each other so I can get that 'perfect' picture:)

Then there's this guy, coming out of the sand....The kids were able to go down and play on it after dinner, but of course My batteries were dead by then....Maybe Grandma will send me the ones I took using her camera...

And then there was this!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!!

It really makes me want to do something like this on the side of the skate shop.....Maybe not horses, but Something with that iron and tile work.......Don't get my wrong! I LOVE the horses~ Just don't think Drew wants horses on the side of the shop! Isn't it beautiful though:)

I did get a few souvenirs.....Of course I'll have pictures later, I'm just waiting on my batteries to charge up now......

Until Next Time:)

Our New Addition!

Wanna meet the most beautiful Nephew a girl could have??

Meet Gavin
a Healthy 8lb 1oz baby Boy!!
He's only seconds old in this picture....

He came Tuesday afternoon.......and I was the there to watch him come into the world. AND I couldn't be happier!!! I tell you what there's something special about watching a baby come into the world!! Especially when it's your sister's baby!!!

Isn't he just the cutest!!

Both Mommie and baby are now at home, and both are doing great!!

The kids and I finally got back into town this afternoon. And I'm exhausted! We went into DC Friday, and took the "2 hour tour" (I'll explain later, LMAO) .....be on the look out for the next blog======I've got a few pictures to share!!

So......

Yup, here it comes.....

Until Next Time:)

A Cookie Jar.....and some Mini tiles.....

I know, I know....I said I was leaving......But then I saw Nikki's Perfect mini mushrooms and remembered that I really wanted to show you this:

Isn't it Awesome:) A couple of weeks ago, when Cora and I were in the thrift store, we found this Mushroom Cookie Jar and I Fell in Love!! That was until I picked up the top and saw that they wanted $15 dollars for it. If you haven't figured out yet, I'm a cheapie...So I told myself that if it was meant to be, it would come down in price and I would find it later.....When I went back, it was still there....but it was also still $15.....................And I walked away, again. Then the next day we were at another thrift store and There sat My Mushroom Cookie Jar! And it was priced at $5.99!!! Cora looked at me, and said, Now you have to buy it!!! SO I did, lol. Isn't it the best! The bf is not totally impressed, he forced a smile, and said Yup.....it's very 70ish, lol. I think that was his way of being polite, lol.
Here's the back of it:
**When i was in high school, I got this bright idea one day! I wanted to turn a hat stand, with an umbrella shoved down the top.....into a mushroom. It was so fun! My friend and I sat in the garage for hours paper mache'n this massive mushroom, only to give up and never finish it! Terrible, I know! ......LOL......Maybe one day I'll come across another hat stand and an umbrella.....Or maybe it would be fun to do in mini.......


Speaking of Minis.....I have been working on something.......Polymer clay tiles. So far, I'm not impressed. LOL. The first batch I burnt! But didn't kill...if you know what I mean. It adds age and character to them, and the bf tells me this is ok. But they are far from what I had envisioned. That's the one thing about working with clay, sometimes you never know what you're going to get.


Then I decided to start working on a blue and white set. I kinda like these, but they were not what I had wanted either. I'm going to for a much more natural look, not so many strips......And I must of not rolled the clay well enough, because I ended up with little air bubbles. The bottom of these are white......


And then after I cut the above tiles, I started to wear down a little, and cheated....these next tiles aren't backed, and I cut them after they had been cooked, which turned out to be harder than just cutting them before I cooked them. Lesson learned!

Anyways.......I will play some more when I get a chance......I want some like the ones I used in Cora's bathroom.........and I want some natural looking stone ones.

Ok...think I'm done now....
((Must remember to show you the pie plate I found too! LOL))
There's always one more thing, isn't there, lol!!!!!

Until Next Time...........

Something a little different today.....

It's art!
I made it!
It's my art.....
So I can post it right, lol....................
Any guesses as to what it is??

What about now?

LOL......Give up yet? It's dryer lint! I pulled it out of the lint catcher one time....Yes, I know I shouldn't of emptied it sooner! But, when I pulled it out, I saw this beautiful mountain of different textures and colors. Isn't it funny how we see things???

.....Not much new in the mini world......

And tomorrow I will be on my way to Mom's to be with the family when our new addition arrives.

So.....Until Next Time!!

I'll be an Auntie then:)

I have a Confession to make!

Ira sent me this package with all kinds of amazing goodies....Last week....and I haven't posted about it yet, Because one of the cats ate one of the pieces she sent! I have crawled all around this house on my hands and knees with a flashlight, checking every nook and cranny, And I still can't find our glittery skull heads. You see.......................

I was a stupid cat owner! After opening the box, and drooling over everything for a while, I put the contents back in the box, and then left the box on the coffee table when I went to bed! Yeah! I know.........I don't know why I thought that because I had folded that box back up.....that the cats wouldn't of been able to get into it! So....when I woke up in the morning, I found my beautiful ribbons wrapped around the living room~ I was Not happy! And I was even more upset when I realized that the one thing Ira was self-conscious about........ was missing! It must of been the glitter! It was just toooooo irresistible for them!

So.....Immediately, I got out a paper towel roll, and taped my ribbons onto it. I also wrote Ira's name on it, So I won't ever forget who sent them to me:) Aren't they beautiful!!!

There was a whole package of stuff! Printies!! My printer is being dysfunctional right now, so it was nice to get my printie addiction through the mail!

There was leaves for a planter! THANKS so much Ira! I really needed these!!

And here is the fabric that Ira sent that matches the ribbon she sent! I even called my Mom (who's a quilter) to brag that I had beautiful fabric all way the way from Finland:) I love the colors in them....Some for Marshmallow Manor, and then some with girlie prints:)

And then there was my flowers! My beautiful flowers! This is what started it all. Ira offered to send me some of her daisies when I commented on her blog, and look at what she sent! WOW!! I have daisies for all my houses! And some Gorgeous Roses!!

She also offered to make me a purse! This pink leather purse will be going into Katie's Corner.... Isn't it Fabulous?!

Yes! I know....the gifts just kept coming:) Next there was a strawberry waffle! Yum!! Don't know if I told ya'll....Even though I love eating strawberries, I can't eat them due to

allergies! So, it's trivial to me to have them! They are soooooo Yummy!

Next we have a crown.....The bf and I have been arguing over who's house this is going in......he thinks he needs it! Ha!

Ira also sent some metal findings....I'm excited about these! Oh the possibilities!!

And then there's this. First is a little metal birdie that is going to be perfect in my beach house! And next to that is the base to what used to be Cora's glittery skull head! She had wanted to put it in her Gothic Room! **Damn Cats!!!!! What in the Heck have ya'll done with our Skull???

I haven't emailed Ira personally about the skull head yet, so I hope she understands!
She was so gracious to send us all of this cool stuff! Thanks Again Ira!!!

Until Next Time.............

What? I couldn't help myself!

I had to go by the pharmacy yesterday....And the thrift store was calling my name...It is only a block away! And I know these aren't white, But I couldn't resist the earth tone colors! And at .99 and .75..........I couldn't pass them up!


Then I was cleaning out another cabinet and found the creamer on the left. It goes with my dishes that I've had for years. LOL, Actually started out with a 16 piece set (hand-me-down from my Step Mother when she updated her own kitchen) But would you believe I'm down to 2 dinner plates. Yes, 2. That's why I had to go buy more last week....I needed at least 5 plates for my own family....... I picked up the other creamer last week at the thrift store, too.....I love this one cause of it's girlie figure! It's very feminine!

Lets talk Fabric!

A while back, I finally stopped in at this quilt store in Maryland that I had been wanting to go into, but never did.....Well, I finally made the time and was so Glad I did! Look at what I found!
I thought this was so fun, and so cute.....Of course I look at material now, and see if I could use in in my minis, and this one will be perfect to make a pillow or two. I can use their heads or those flowers/leaves......Isn't it cute? Do you buy material on impulse, too??


Picked up these 2 as well. Thought the strawberry one would make a cute pillow...or even a dress for Grandma Bunny?? The orange one just spoke to me.....I liked the colors...and the circles:)


This next one I could kick myself in the butt for not buying more. I want a black berry pillow, and of course where it was cut, it left me barley one.... But don't you just love the fairies?? I think this one was called Autumn Harvest!

And this one.............Is my Favorite Ever!! It's a bunch of cats tearing apart a sewing room! How perfect is that! Not to sure what I'm going to do with this one........ I like it too much to cut it up:) Bethca I could come up with a cute apron or something??

Thanks to those of you that are still hanging on! I appreciate your comments!!

And....

I promise, I'll have some mini posts coming......... So:

Until Next Time!

Some more thrift store finds...

I've had the itch to shop lately and when your on a tight budget, the best way to go is to hit the second hand stores. First we have the canisters! BTW...these all are real life items....I just love the prints! Strawberries on one and mushrooms/veggies on the other....Then there's the wooden spoon~ Mine have seemed to disappear?? Bet you they're with all those missing spoons:) Also bought 2 little green glasses cause I thought they were cool:)

Thought you might like a close up of the canisters:)

Next is the pretty plates. I've got this idea that I want a set of unmatched floral dishes.....Each piece of china was under a dollar, so I think I can afford that:) ....and I found another white creamer:)

Also bought a few white dishes. Over the years, mine have started to thin out, so it's about that time to restock. I think that this is the smartest way when you have kids......As long as I buy all white dishes, it will feel like I have a whole set...........And I'm not worried about the kids breaking them:)

I just love mixing white dishes with the floral dishes:)

And last but not least is the Plate I bought for my Mom. My parents have a collection of blue and white dishes...so, this one will fit right in. As soon as I saw it...well there was a whole set of them...but as soon as I saw it I fell in love with the detail. Mom loves the country just as much as me....And I can't wait to see if she likes it as much as I do:)

Real Life Collections: Part 2

Another collection that I have is my colored pitchers and my white creamers. When my kids were little, My step-mom and I used to go to the outlet malls....A Lot. lol. And I don't know why I started collecting pitchers....I just liked them. I like when they're all lined up....I like the solid colors and the roundness of their bodies. I don't ever use them....I just like to look at them. I had to stop buying them when I ran out of counter space....but one day! I will find some more:)

I'm not too sure what started the creamer collection either! I just like the look of white 'jugs' all lined up... These have been put away in my cabinet for probably 8 years now....

And after finding 2 more for a dollar each at the thrift store, I had to bring them all out and clean them. It's not a big collection, yet, but it will be. And I'm not sure if I even want anymore colored one, But I do think I want more white ones, In all the sizes!

Just in case your wondering....I bought the one all the way to the right...and the second one from the left the other day....Still can't believe they were only a buck!

The Cow creamer is my favorite! The milk comes outta his mouth, lol........Reminds me of My Grandma~ She loved cows!!! And now that I'm thinking about it, it's probalbly what started it all.....

So until next time:)