little gi

the felt addiction is getting out of hand...

thanks to this book...

the kids & i are totally obsessed with creating every single thing inside & last night i made this while a few friends came over to scrap

i think anything not nailed down is going to have a little appliqué sewn onto it :)

we are off to the beach for a week...everyone is so excited...
really looking forward to just hanging out with family, pina coladas & sand castles...
am definitely packing a bag of felt & embroidery thread so my little addiction won't have to take a vacation as well...lol

hope you have a great friday!

xoxo

gi

oooh this was really fun...

ok...remember the other day when i linked you up to the hoop-y goodness in the tarisota gallery? 
well...i got some hoops...

oooh man...FUN!!!!!
so i created this for this week's word up over at onelittleword

it is a belated birthday gift for my ker...

oooh i hope she likes it :)

have a happy HAPPY wednesday!!

xoxo

g

inspired...

i just read this amazing post by jill...

& here is a a photo i took back in january of a bit of our shoe collection

& you know what's funny...jill is so right....this little shoe picture does mean a lot to me...

i totally remember taking this photo...
because it was a sunny, warm day in january & i was longing for spring even tho it was months away...
because i was psyched to have the screen door open to let the fresh air & sun in & how cool it was that we got to spend some winter time outside & our shoes got all muddy, probably when the kids were running around like crazies with their friends at pre-school pick-up...

because i remember thinking...wow...i'm a mom w/ little kids....look at the evidence...

because i remember thinking how tiny their little feet were in comparison to my grown up running shoes...how i've gotta savor them being little...they won't be for long....
kelly's shoes aren't included b/c she was at school & i remember thinking how quickly she is growing up...big first grader, reading & all...
i remember thinking how much kate loved those hand-me-down purple shoes that kelly & another friend had worn..how much i loved them on her, they were so cute with this cute velvet flower...i remember i had been super crazy about stuff getting dirty when kelly wore them & how now with 3 little ones, i had softened about all of that & now kate is a muddy mess half the time...

the little things do mean a lot don't they...

nicole's photostreem in flickr inspires me a lot too...she also captures those little things expertly..

i've gotta try to follow their example better...grab that camera & go...snap snap snap away...
b/c i love all those little things..
i'm very mindful that it is these little things that i'm going to so enjoy reminiscing about down the road...

hope you had a great tuesday!!!
happy little thing capturing :)

xoxo

gi

i need to see this as soon as possible....

NEED!!!!!!!!!!!! NEED!!!!!!!!!!! i need to find someone to go w/ me the second it opens on friday night oooh i need to make some calls xoxo g

sum up summer week & be inspired....

week 3:

* tater turned three!!!!!
* big family time weekend...mike took friday off, all day park on friday, zoo on saturday, all day pool on sunday...really REALLY good stuff
* kelly can swim all the way across the pool!!  yay!!!
* visit from uncle jeff..."un-le jeff went home to his mom...i'm donna miss him" says tater...lol
* some late night scrappin' with laurie...so much fun
* ryan had a blast w/ all of his friends at the park
* actually caught up with laundry & it feels so good being a little june cleaver-ish
* kids went "hiking" in the backyard...kelly took notes including "lots of nats" (gnats)...lol
* kelly dressed kate "i don't need help at you!" tater told me...lol
* Madagascar exhibit at the zoo...absolutely phenomenal...we all fell in love with the lemurs & were able to get right next to the nile crocodiles...they are HUGE!!!!
* Tiger Mountain at the zoo...the male walked right up to the window & one of the females was sleeping up against it...we were a pane of glass away from touching her...absolutely amazing experience
* all day at the park on friday...sprinkler pool, playground & cupcakes

& if you haven't seen it yet, run don't walk over to the tarisota gallery...unbelievably inspiring...after i finish this entry i'm running to the craft store for some embroidery hoops :)

& another inspiring link from ngai's blog...a really poignant last letter from a woman/mother/wife who died of cancer...take a moment to read, it will definitely touch your heart & renew your spirit..

My journey in this world was difficult and painful but important in my spiritual growth. I learned that we have to be happy despite our circumstances. We can’t say I will be happy when…. No sweeties be happy now because today is all you have -                                      Andrea Collins Smith

wise words indeed....amazing words...words to live by for sure...
now get out there & enjoy :)

happy monday everyone!!!

xoxo

gi

there once was a woman named...

sharmaine...

and she was kind...
and interesting...
and open hearted...

and then i saw her art...

and saw more of her gorgeous heart that she shares so beautifully...

and i started to get to know her...
and learned more about her and found her to be even more wonderful...

sharmaine is a friend of mine...

and i count myself extremely lucky to say that :)

& i'm rooting for her big time as she creates up a storm for the Scrap-n-Crop's Project Scrap-Away contest

GO SHARMAINE, GO!!!!!

xoxo

gi

catchin' up on that alphabet....

been taking lots of everyday photos this summer so far...totally loving it
& beth's challenge & patty's great sum up summer idea keep spurring me on...good stuff

b is for bounce
kelly & ryan in the bouncy castle on the 4th of july

c is for crocs
tater's crocs...on backwards as usual :)

d is for double trouble
this one is also for my ispy something #20 :)

& tomorrow is this little girl's big #3 birthday...

cupcakes & friends & the sprinkler pool at the park are on for tomorrow....
& the birthday fairy is getting all the decorations ready as i type this, so when she wakes up in the morning, she'll see her big 3 (it's got Ariel on it i hear :) & balloons (think pink :)...she's gonna freak :)

happy happy day!!

xoxo

g

go team & a sum up summer week 2...

it is one of the little family things we do...i forget really how it started a few years ago...but it is such a part of US now....such a kennedy thing...it is our "go team"...

after something goes wrong...when there is hurt feelings, maybe some crying, everyone is mad at each other & the day is starting to go down the tubes...
basically when the wheels start to fall off the bus...
that's when we pull out the "go team"
we all put our hands together...we all say our "i'm sorry"s...we promise to put all of it behind us...
we do our "goooooooooo TEAM!" cheer & throw our hands in the air..
a new day has begun & we are all going to face it together as a team...
yeah...totally corny...but whatever...it works for us :)

we pulled it out a couple times this week that is for sure...rainy afternoons when all you want to do is swim in the pool & not enough naps & bug girl bossing around super snap and batman & mommy trying to get everyone out of the house to get to the fair but no one is listening & little boys who go psychotic when calm is really needed....

definitely "go team" times for sure...

some more to sum up week 2 of summer for us:

* the kids trying desperately to wink
* kelly swimming all on her own...no swimmie wings
* Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets....LOVED it...can't wait to move on to #3
* kate & her knock knock jokes (knock, knock...who's there?...ACH....ach who?...HA HA!  made you sneeze!...knock, knock...who's there?...BOO....boo who?...don't cry it's only a joke!!)
* kate "um juss donna do a yittle jump"...all by herself in the pool w/ her swimmie wings
* disney DVD bingo
* bug girl, super snap & batman fight the giant robot while bouncing on our bed
* fireworks at a neighbors
* ryan watched the fireflies rather than the fireworks
* the pirate ship blow up thing at the fair was a big hit
* hanging with good friends at joey's birthday party

have a happy sunday!!

xoxo

g

happy birthday to my ker....

today is my friend ker's birthday...

& i know lots of you know her as KL & you've have seen her fantastic art around..
she is amazing THAT is for sure...

but here is the thing...
amazing doesn't even scratch the surface of what she is...
amazing is just one adjective in a line of 52 million others i can line up to even try to describe how special she is...how much she means to me...

she is my favorite & my best...absolutely, positively, not a doubt...

if only she lived next door :)

happy birthday my friend...

i love you

xoxoxoxo

g

NOW....

this week's word up over at onelittleword is NOW...
NOW...what a great word for me to focus on this week...

i tend to sometimes get distracted with what could be...what i wish would be...what i want to do & can't...
meanwhile...the NOW is passing me by...
& i'm obsessed with trying to actually be present in this very moment...to embrace it (good or bad) & to experience it...& i think i needed a reminder...so this word came at the perfect time for me....
don't you love it when that happens?  :)

so i made me a little sign (hmmm...i think watching that Paula Dean yesterday is affecting my speech...lol)

so fun to make this...i got to use some super cool pom pom trim beth sent me, some yarn that sharmaine sent me, a cool chipboard flourish from riff raff designs....AND i tried a yarn flower that kelli crowe did on the june 10th entry in the autumn leaves calendar...LOVE that calendar, such great ideas & becs gave it to me, so i think of her when i turn the page each day :)

so now my NOW sign hangs right by my desk & reminds me to go ahead & enjoy...enjoy the NOW...
be present in this very moment...

& big congrats to Lynn!!!!  she is a grandmother!!!!!  HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy wednesday!

xoxo

gi