I wanna Cardboard Kitchen for Christmas!

Good morning everyone out there in Blogland!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you ALL!!!

Ok, it's almost noon and I'm sure all of you are done opening your gifts. If you have children under the age, of let's say 30, the floor space under the tree was probably cleared in record time, lol.  Well, having only one at home calls for some record setting too.

I know that you probably don't wanna spend a bunch of time reading blogs today...especially the blogs of those of us who hardly ever update anymore :-(. But I'm here today. 

NormallyI don't make New Years resolutions, but I'm gonna make an exception this time.

AHEM...in 2010 (that looks really weird)...AHEM...in 2010, I, (state your name)...lol...Dawn Bibbs, will make EVERY attempt to update my blog at LEAST once per week. AND...get back to the business of doing the Friday Flower Fix on said blog.  Ok, there, I said it...hope I can do it :-D.

Alrighty, GUESS what I did?  Tell ye what, how bout I just show you and narrate as I go....

Photo #1 I built Jayla her very own...Cardboard Box Kitchen!

Let's take a tour, shall we?

Photo #2 The sink with a working clock, REAL Stainless steel faucet and sprayer.

Photo #3 The refrigerator w/ bottom freezer. And of course, water & ice in the door.

Photo #4 (My favorite appliance) The stove/oven/range (Not really sure what it's called these days, but you get the idea)

Photo #5 Close up of the stove.

Photo #6 Yes! That is a real oven rack :-).

Photo #7 And finally, the stacked washer & dryer complete with a view thru window and Tide (Front Loading detergent, of course) :-)

Well, that's it!  I have been working on this kitchen for about 3 weeks and I'm proud to say that I only have 2 minor X-acto knife injuries, both on the same finger :-). 

Jayla has been asking for a kitchen now for about 3 years. And we REFUSED to pay the ridiculous prices they charge for them (even the used ones)...I saw prices ranging from $100 - $400.

I'm assuming most 8 year olds aren't really into play kitchens. Because, although these kitchens cost a small fortune, they're very small. So I decided to get creative and make my own.  Wanna know what I spent on Jayla's? Here's the breakdown.

Boxes - $8 (2 of them, we already had and I used Staples Rewards coupons and my $8 for the other)
2 frame mats - $3 (used for the front of the oven and the "water/ice" maker on fridge)
Tape - $6
Knobs - $0 (these were left over corner brackets for the Target wire cubes)
Pulls - $2 (dowel rods painted silver)
Silver & black paint - $0
Oven rack - $0
Faucet & sprayer - $10 (from salvage store)
Clock - $0 (made from old CD, transparency, number stickers & old clock parts)
Pink/White/Black "Tiles) - $0 (scrapbooking cardstock)
Bins - $3 (purchased from thrift store. used inside fridge/freezer)
Sink - $1.88 (Walmart)
Fabric - $4.00 (Hobby Lobby. Used for under sink & clock face.)

TOTAL spent - $33.88

Merry Christmas everyone! Talk to you soon.

...Just like that, huh?

...well, Christmas is over...just like that!

~

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day with your family and/or friends. Ours was very nice - very low key, but very nice & relaxing. I must admit though,Christmas, as an adult/parent, brings a very different experience than when I was a child. Not a bad different...just...different.

~

It was also very different just having one child at home. The entire focus of the moment was all on Jayla. And why shouldn't it be? She's the youngest and the last one at home. So it was so much fun to watch her enjoy the moment.

~

Speaking of "the moment", let's talk about that, shall we?

~

On Monday, Christmas Eve, we all just sat around and anticipated the excitement that the next day would bring. Then at 9:00 that night, Jayla realized that she had forgotten to do something. She found her little ziploc bag of Reindeer food on the kitchen table (dried oatmeal and red glitter). She yells, "OH MOM!!! We forgot to put the reindeer food out! Oh my GOODNESS!!!" lol. So she throws on her coat (over her PJ's), slips on some shoes, grabs the "food" off the table then yells for me to HURRY UP and come out in the front yard with her. As I'm standing on the porch, she looks up in the sky, saying that she's making sure the reindeer aren't waiting for her to leave them something to eat :-). She sprinkles the food all over the yard then breathes a sigh of relief that she got it done - just in time. :-)

~

Now if you'll remember, this is the same little girl who says she doesn't even believe in Santa and his reindeer :-). But she informs me that she doesn't believe in Santa...just the flying reindeer, LOL. Anyway, we finally get Miss Lady to calm down then into bed for the night, around 9:30pm.

We were a little worried that she'd wake up WAY earlier than normal. But she actually slept in for a bit. She didn't knock on our door until 7:35 on Christmas morning. I grabbed the camera and we all headed downstairs...you know, to see what the "Reindeer" delivered :-). Here are some of my favorite pix from the day:

Sorry this picture is so blurry...not sure why my hands might have been shaking so much. But I had to show it anyway because I just love the look on Jayla's face. I'll tell ya, this little girl is THE best person to give gifts too. She is SO excited about anything you give her - and I do mean ANYTHING. Example: last week while grocery shopping, I picked up a new toothbrush for Jayla. Nothing fancy, no fun characters or anything. It was just your basic CREST kids toothbrush with a white and pink handle. No big deal. Well, when Jayla got home from school that day, she was in her bathroom and saw the new toothbrush. All of a sudden, I hear this squealish scream. So, I run in there to see what might have happened to her. And as I reach the door, she says, "OH MOM...I just LOVE this toothbrush!! It's PERFECT!!!" Now I'm standing there looking perplexed thinking it's JUST a toothbrush. Then she jumps up off the toilet (pants still down around her ankles, mind you, and gives me a big ole hug). She was so excited about it and even said to me, "Mom, you're the BESTESS mom I could ever have! I love you for getting me a BRAND NEW toothbrush!" :-) Uh, you're welcome? lol. After such a heartfelt thank you from my loving daughter, I didn't have the heart to tell her that I only got her a new one so that it would fit in the toothbrush holder...the Princess one she had had too big of a handle.

Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

YES, that's a mailbox in the background! We couldn't believe that this is one of gifts she HAD to have. Jayla loves getting mail and it would be icing on her cake to get it out of her very own mailbox. So, that's what she got.

This is what the mailbox looked like before it got all prettied up.

And this is an up close look at it all "Jayla'd" up :-).

And I'm sure ya'll remember me telling you how "Domesticated" my daughter is, right? :-) Well, here are the best of the best as far as her gifts went :-).

The Disney Princess Cash Register.

The "Laptop" :-).

The Coffee Maker.

And THE Vacuum Cleaner. :-)

She also got a beautiful pink bathrobe. My BIL got that for her and some Princess slippers to go with it. Look, she even wears it while doing her chores :-).
Anyway, it was a fun morning. And every since then, Jayla has been wandering around the house with that bathrobe on and offering to make everyone a cup of coffee...then vacuum up after them :-). She's driving Trae crazy, LOL.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week. I've gotta run...I'm being summoned to play Connect Four :-). Toodles!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My goodness you guys, tomorrow is CHRISTMAS!!! Wonder if I'm ready? :-)

I know Jayla is....this girl is driving me CRAZY! She cannot WAIT until tomorrow. And I cannot wait to see her face when she opens all her gifts. I will definitely have my camera in hand.

Speaking of gifts, what all are you guys wanting this year? I guess I shoulda asked this before Christmas Eve, huh?...but I never got around to it :-). Personally, I don't want much this year. I remember giving a pretty extensive list last year...and I have YET to get the black Tahoe or that princess cut diamond ring I asked for :-). So I thought I'd better keep it simple this year. (NOTE: it wouldn't hurt my feelings though, to get the two aforementioned items tomorrow, hee hee)

But being that my focus this year is to get my scrapbook/craft room done, all I want is money to do that. Actually, Santa, aka, my hubby, has promised me the funds for the room next week. So hopefully, by the first of the year, the makeover will be underway. But, if the world was a perfect place, I would like to have this book, and this. Other than that, I don't want much out of life.

To be honest, I actually already have EVERYTHING I could possibly want or need. I have my health (despite a little cold that Jayla gave me), I have a loving husband, a beautiful family, wonderful friends and a Saviour who gave His life for ME! My goodness, it just doesn't get any better than THAT!

With that, I wish ALL of you have the BEST Christmas EVER!!! You deserve it! And don't forget, Be Inspired....I AM!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

More Christmas goings on & a Fix!

Happy Friday everyone.

Wait, it IS Friday, isn't it? Man, this week has been a HUmongous blur!!! I can't quite figure out when I'm coming or going these days. I'll just blame that on...uh, old age...yeah, that's what it is! :-)

Let's see, what have I been up to this week?

Monday was my 19th anniversary. And I think I did a post on that. So I won't bore you with what else may have happened that day/evening...tee hee.
Tuesday, hmmm, I'm not sure what I did that day. But if I remember, I'll come back an add it. (Update: still, I got nothin! HAHAHA. Oh wait, I went to the grocery store...THAT's what I did.) Wednesday I took my MIL to have her monthly bloodwork done. It's so cool to get to the doctors office that we go to, get moms bloodwork done and be walking back in the house in less than 20 minutes! Talk about convenience. Then I had to go back to the grocery store to grab a few things for mom.
Thursday I helped with the Christmas breakfast in Jayla's class. Several of the kids were dressed up in cute holiday outfits...they looked so sweet. And they all wore some reindeer antlers that they decorated. Here's Jayla in hers.
I think most of the school had their parties that day so parking was KA-razy! But not to worry, I worked it out :-)

(YES, without being towed!)

It was so nice to see so many parents there. I think everyone had a really nice time. And those kids had some good eats too. Along with having syrup, whipped cream, cherries & chocolate chips to go on pancakes that one of the dads was flipping, we also had bacon, fruit, cheese, juice and donnut holes. Talk about yummy!!! The kids had such a great time decorating their pancakes. As a matter of fact, here's what one of them looked like......

Isn't that the cutest little thing?

Oh, and guess what my Jayla had to eat for breakfast? OH NO...she wouldn't have any parts of the wonderful spread we provided! OH NO..."SHE" had to have something special. The girl had Macaroni & Cheese!!! C'mon...you eat that EVERY SINGLE DAY for breakfast at home...can't you try something different for a change? NOPE!!! So I had to take one of those little bowls of Kraft Mac & Cheese that you add water to (insert rolling eyes). Thank goodness there's a microwave in her class. Sheese!!! :-D Well, at least the girl ate, right? Oh and let's not forget...her handful of chocolate chips!

The kids made their parents gifts too. But we can't open them until Christmas Day. So I'll get back with you on that :-). The kids had their cute little tree up and all decorated......
Even the teachers had fun games like Christmas Musical Chairs and SANTA Bingo, planned for the kids after they ate. I think a great time was had by everyone.

Then after I left the school, I had a few more errands to run...in the rain.

Today, I had yet even more running around to do. My BIL asked me if I'd pick up a couple things for Jayla from him for Christmas. So I did that today. Along with driving across the county to meet with my mother and aunt who came in town...literally for an hour. They came to pick up my sister and Markell, as they are spending Christmas with my mom. So I met up with them to exchange gifts. And man, let me tell you...the traffic was HORRENDOUS!!! I left home this morning at 10:30 or so and didn't get back until a little after 4pm! I am tiRED!!!

Ok, ok, enough about my week. How bout a Flower Fix? I tell ya, you guys are so patient! :-) So, without further ado...here's your Friday Flower Fix.
Alright, as pretty as this is...I'm confused. Is a Poinsettia a flower or a plant? I dunno. But today...it's a flower :-).

I actually have more to post...but as I mentioned...I'm tiRED!!! So, I'll do the other part tomorrow. From what I understand, as long as it's done BEFORE Christmas, I'm good, lol. So with that, ya'll have a wonderful evening and I'll holla atcha tomorrow. Toodles!!

Happy Anniversary to me....

Hey ya'll!

Guess what? TODAY is my 19th wedding anniversary. Can you believe someone has been married to ME for 19 years? :-) Sometimes I can't. But I'm so glad he chose me.

Well, we officially celebrated our special day this past Friday night. And we went to our favorite place. Here we are...

Sadly, we didn't get "our" table this year. But we were in the same area. We were actually close enough to reach over and touch it...so I'd say that still counts.

If you notice the beautiful flowers on the table...those were a special delivery from Briyanna. That sneaky daughter of mine, got to the restaurant a little after we did (we didn't see her though), and had the hostess deliver them to our table. Both me and Marque were so shocked. It was a very sweet surprise...I love flowers.

I don't think I need to mention that the food was DEElicious! So I won't :-). (but it was)

After a tasty dinner, we ordered dessert. And this is how they brought it out to us:

Aren't those lovely? You can't see my dessert from the side. But it's their Chocolate Mousse Cake. It's about 4 layers of DEElish-ness!!! One layer being white chocolate (I think). And the Mr. got the Key Lime pie. So pretty!!

Anyway, today, our actual anniversary, has been a very laid back/low key day. We had lunch from here today. During the soccer season, Marque was given a restaurant gift card. So we used it today. Very yummy! It seems like all we do is eat, doesn't it? lol

A few posts ago, I said I would share the Christmas card that I designed and mailed out. Before I show it to you, let me admit that I realize this is a very tacky way to "send out" a Christmas card. But there are SOOO many people that I want to share it with and mailing them would just be too much to take on. So for those of you who didn't receive one in the mail, please accept this online version from me and my family. (Sorry to be so tacky)

This is the front of the card.

This is the inside.

Ok, I only have one more thing to share with you all. For those of you who are scrapbookers, you'll appreciate this. I'm not really into the whole "altering" thing. But I've been wanting to make a clock for my craft room that is currently under construction. I didn't want a regular ole clock. So I bought one of the clock faces by Heidi Swapp. At Michaels, I found a 14" round piece of unfinished wood, with a hole already in it. It's actually to be use for making a clock. ANYWAY, I painted the disk black, decorated a round scrapbook layout, added the HS clock face and this is how it turned out:

You guys, I absolutely LOVE it! As you may have noticed, it doesn't have the clock hands on it yet...but it doesn't have the mechanism in the back yet either. I'll be picking those up this week. But, this is pretty much how the clock will look in it's finished state. And I may hang it up with black grossgrain ribbon. Also, the b&w damask print that you see is actually a scan of the fabric that I'll be using in the room. And the purple paper is from the Bazzill Bling line. Pretty cool, huh?

Ok, that's all I've got for today. Hopefully, over the next few days, I'll show you the rest of the pictures from our family photo shoot a few weeks ago. So until then, you guys enjoy the rest of your day. And don't forget...Be Inspired...I AM!!!

Christmas list

...Not to worry, this post is not to give you guys my Christmas list. I mean, would you really get me all the things I REALLY want, anyways? :-) Actually, I don't want that much this year. Money would be fine...I still need to get started on my craft room.

Alrighty, this is actually a cute questionnaire I found on Cheryl's blog. She always has the neatest lists. So, here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gifts bags? I use both. However, I really enjoy wrapping gifts. Even though my husband thinks it takes an act of congress to UNwrap the gifts that I wrap. Something about too much tape, LOL.
2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial. I don't like the smell of real trees. Not to mention, I don't wanna have to go buy a tree every year. AND...it's enough to keep my house plants from dying. So to remember to water a big ole tree is just a bit much for me. And sadly, I really don't have space anymore to put up the 7 1/2 foot tree that I WANT to put up. So this year I just put up the 4 foot tree. Still very pretty.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the week after Thanksgiving...if I can find it :-).
4. When do you take the tree down? Just before Valentines Day, LOL. Just kidding. I take it down a couple days after New Years Day.
5. Do you like eggnog? ACK!!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'd have to say a beautiful purple radio :-). And also my Tiffany Taylor doll. I think she was the first black doll ever created, lol. I remember her being tall and thin. Kinda like those stupid Bratz dolls...but not near as ghetto! She had long hair, down to her hynie (the first weave, I think...hee hee). And the top of her head could be turned...depending on if you wanted her to have black hair or brown hair. TOO COOL!!! (WARNING: Whatever you do, please do not try and look this doll up on the internet. I did, so that I could show you a picture of her. And the links that came up have NOTHING to do with the doll I had...nor Christmas. TRUST me on this one...Consider yourself warned!!!)
7. Do you have a nativity scene? I actually have 2 of them. And I keep them out all year long. I LOVE them.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My husband and my mother. Oh, and...my husband again :-).
9. Easiest person to buy for? Jayla! This girl is SO appreciative of ANYTHING you give her. So it makes shopping for her very easy and fun.
10. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? Oh, my...I have no idea. But I'm sure it was something from my mother. She loves to give gag gifts.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Definitely mail. I love the "personalness" (is that a word?) of sending and receiving cards in the mail.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. And I love, A Christmas Story.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Funny this question is being asked. My wedding anniversary is on the 17th of December....a week before Christmas. Not sure how this "tradition" got started. But several years ago, when I was working outside the home, my hubby and I would take the 17th off of work (or the day closest to it if it fell on the weekend) and we'd spend the day together. And not just "spend it together", but together Christmas shopping for the kids. SO...I said all that to say, that we'll start shopping NEXT weekend, :-).
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Ok, there was this one time....Oh, and then last year....next question please :-).
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Uhhhh, is food specific enough?
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? CLEAR!!! Oh my goodness, I HATE colored lights on the tree. I think it has something to do with the memory of my childhood tree. Back in the 70's and 80's, they didn't have the cute little lights that we have these days. My mom used to put those HUMONGUS incandecent sized lightbulbs on our tree. ARGH! I'm surprised our tree never went up in flames or fell over!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Other than the classic, Blue Christmas by Porky Pig :-). I'd have to say, my all time fav is Celebrate me home by Kenny Loggins.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We stay home most of the time. But we have gone to Mobile in the past to be with my family.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? I think so. (gosh I hope the next question is not to actually name them...)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. I like a big fat bow on the top of my tree.
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The crowds and NO parking. It was crowded in PetSmart this morning...what's up with THAT?
23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Yes. I love dark green and burgundy for Christmas. And I accent with silver. As I look around, I think the theme, is actually music. I have a lot of french horns placed around.
24. What do/did you leave for Santa? All the credit card bills from Christmas shopping! LOL

Well, that's it. Hmmm, wonder why there weren't 25 questions? You know, since Christmas is on the 25th. Oh well! That was fun though. I love doing stuff like this.

If you have time and would like to join in on the fun, please take a minute (or 30) and do this questionnaire yourself. But if you do, be sure to let us know in my comments. Toodles!!

What's your favorite?

Hello there.

Ok, Thanksgiving is over and now it's time to get in Christmas mode. Christmas has got to be my favorite holiday. I just love seeing the looks on my kids' faces when they open their gifts. And I think just the spirit of THAT day is just happy and joyous.

I will admit though, by Christmas day, I have had my fill of the music/carols. HOWEVER, I do have my favorites. And that's what this post is all about.

For those of you who know me...I mean REALLY know me...you are well aware that, at times I can be just a couple french fries short of a Happy Meal...if you know what I mean :-). There is a HUGE silly side of Dawn. I absolutely LOVE to laugh and making others laugh also brings me joy :-). As a matter of fact, both my parents hate when I call them during the day. Normally, they're both at work and they get so embarassed laughing out loud at me on the phone. Weird, huh? :-D There have actually been times when they've simply hung up on me :-).

ANYHOO...back to the subject at hand. I do tend to get a little tired of the Christmas music by the time the day arrives. But there are a few that I could listen to over and over again. And this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPgq_fxaW7U has GOT to be at the top of my list. If you haven't heard this before, you're in for a treat. Again, keep in mind that I LOVE to laugh and this just cracks me up. It's SO fun!!! I think the part I enjoy the most is the guy laughing in the background. ENJOY!!

So, tell me...what are your favorite Christmas/Holiday Songs? Other than the one above, my favs are:

~Celebrate Me Home - By Kenny Loggins (LOVE IT!!)

~Silent Night - By The Temptations (a CLASSIC!)

~I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas - By The Drifters (another classic!)

~This Christmas - By Donny Hathaway (yet another classic!)

11/27 update: I just thought of something else. I LOVE just about all music by Mannheim Steamroller. They are SO cool!!!

I'm sure there are a few others. But they don't come to mind at the moment. I am 41 now you know! I'd love to hear what some of your favorites are. Share those with us, by either putting them here in my comments or listing them on your blog.

Ok, hopefully everyone is in the Christmas spirit now. Have I inspired you? Just a little? :-)