White Elephant Gift

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Since receiving one last night, we have no more need for a Virgin Mary candle. Please take it off your Christmas list for us. (Sorry if this news disappoints you :)
Thank you!

Dollar Tree

Being on our own I have found that I LOVE color coordinating my gift wrap and making beautiful packages. (Yes, it's the designer in me.) Anyway, I think our Christmas tree will be work in progress from year to year because there are too many fun ideas out there. (Plus we had to go to the dollar store for our decorations this year . . . not the best but it works for now.)
Is there a book full of decorated Christmas trees? I will totally buy it, just point me in the right direction.
Those of you who have decorations should post them to your blogs!

Late Night Dude Night

The invitation went out and those who responded were true to the theme. Adam's dirt rocker friends shook the house playing video games, shouting expletives, and eating dude food late into the night. An activity which must be repeated sometime in the near future. We hope you guys all had a good time.

Click to enlarge, and try not to shudder.
(Edited for your viewing pleasure)

Kyle, Jason, Peter, Sean, and Adam rockin' it out on the xbox 360
(Yes, we brought in two TVs for this event!)

You know ALL your dishes are dirty when . . . your husband is using a chopstick to stir the oatmeal.

When do YOU know all your dishes are dirty?

Good Friends Make Good Company

Last night we had a dinner party planned for a dear friend of mine Rachel and her husband Dan. To our surprise, Adam's best friend Lee and his wife Jameson showed up as well, yay! So we got to open our table and use all our fancy dinner settings for the first time! I hope all of you would feel comfortable showing up on our doorstep, anytime. We had good food—Adam's lasagna, salad, rolls, terra misu—and good company. Thanks guys, it was fun!

Thank you for the cookies Rachel and Dan. Yummy.

My little sister Natalie is having a:

This is exciting and so weird! My parents will (finally) be grandparents. Who hoo!

River Rafting in Wyoming

We just received photos of our summer Wyoming trip. This was Adam's first time rafting. It was funny to watch him and his friend squealing at the smallest dip of the raft. Little did they know the rapids were yet to come. And yes, you see a bucket, our raft didn't drain on it's own.

That's Adam's old boss in the back

This is Adam cliff jumping—mid air.
This was NOT a hot summer day. It was freezing.

Plush Creatures

Due to popular demand, I am posting my dolls—but with a disclaimer. I realize some of you will think these are ugly. In fact, my grandma even said, "They're so ugly they're cute." I don't mind, I realize they aren't the dolls most of us grew up with. But since there is a market for them now, I'm goin' for it.

I don't think I'll continue with the antler people, the legs are awkward.
The rabbits are my favorite so far.

Why did I begin making these? I can't do graphic design outside of work for profit. It is a conflict of interest. So, this is how I can be creative and still earn money "after hours."

Below are my Abducted Twice line. Story: These dolls have been abducted more than
once so they dress up as aliens in hopes it won't happen again.
The kids really like these, especially because they have pockets in the back but I doubt I'll continue them. Too many people have said they look like Teletubbies. Look up a Teletubbie and see what you think.

These are regular little monsters. They were the first ones I tried. I love the shorts.

Coming Soon: Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Paul Bunion and Babe. They're very cute.
These dolls will eventually go on sale at Etsy. Contact me if you can't wait that long *wink*

I Have a Secret

Yes, it's true, I have a secret boyfriend. Secret from me that is. I don't know who he is and he keeps leaving messages on my phone. No worries—it's nothing scary or malicious. He has such a thick accent (black) that I can't understand what he's saying anyway. He sounds hurt that "I'm" not calling back, poor guy.

Adam called him a while ago and told him he had the wrong number, I'm not sure he understood. Because this morning he called at 5:30AM!

So, this message is for you Secret Boyfriend from 313 area code: I am already taken. And even I were the girl you are trying to reach—I still wouldn't answer the phone at 5 in the morning.