Building Christmas Memories

Katy and Ted constructing her Shopkins Cookie House

from Aunt Julie & Uncle Rob

❤ Check ya' Later ❤

Mommy/Katy Weekend

Over Labor Day weekend, while hubs was having his annual "Guys Weekend" at home, having fun with long-time friends, playing games and picking the perfect, "winning" fantasy football team, Lil' Miss and I started our own tradition- Mommy/Katy weekend!

We had Tea at the American Girl Bistro.... Both Samantha and Flower attended (in their matching Mommy-Made ensembles, of course! ;)...

We stayed at a fancy hotel, swam in the indoor salt-water pool and wrapped up in the cozy hotel robes...

We roamed the mall and played in the Lego store (this is our family as Legos :)....

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures...

Katy and I chatted. I got glimpses into her world.

I had coffee/Lil' Miss enjoyed some treats. 

We laughed! 

We went out to eat. 

We ate takeout in bed while watching 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.' 

We had fun!  

I tried so hard to savor every moment. 

Most of all, though, we just enjoyed making memories together! 

Love our Mommy/Katy time!

Chalk Drawings

This week is "Daddy Camp" for Lil' Miss. She's savoring these last few moments of summer vacay at home, with Ted and she's loving every moment! After an appointment on Tuesday, we broke out the sidewalk chalk and traced ourselves on the driveway.

Presenting.... the Jones Family... as Olympic-themed Chalk Drawings....!

Katy as a Gymnast (Notice her patriotic leo ;0)

Mommy on the high dive!

Daddy on the still rings!

Artist, hard at work!

All Roads Lead to Hershey... A Mini Tinkey Family Reunion

The Tinkey/Jones/Coyle Clan

July 31, 2016

This past weekend, my side of the family all got together for a mini family reunion in Spring Run, PA (we're talking RURAL PA!). One of my father's first churches, Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church, was celebrating their 250th year anniversary and Dad was invited back to guest preach. 

Soo.... Mom and Dad came up from FL, Josh and family came over from Philly, Hope and Family came over from Pittsburgh and we came up from NC... #miracle! The last time we were all together in the same place was when we celebrated Thanksgiving in NC (and little Maggie Pie wasn't even born, yet!). It was extra special to be able to spend some time together!

Thanksgiving 2014

The day after Dad preached, most of the family spent the day at Hershey Park. Rides, Chocolate, Family and Fun... doesn't get much better than that...!!

Katy measured right in between a Reese's and a Hershey Bar. So, we had to take a picture with both.... ;-)

 

Katy and cousin Kayla had fun living it up on the rides! They even got to go on the Super Dooper Looper! #wildgirls #nofear

Kisses and Katy! XOXOXO

Carowinds

So, we decided to do something a little different, this summer... we decided to get get season passes to Carowinds! It only took us almost ten years of living in NC to finally visit the Carolina theme park!

We spent most of the day in Planet Snoopy and Lil' Miss had a blast!! We got to ride lots of rides and the lines were not as long as I had anticipated (being Memorial Day, and all). Katy is already talking about, "...the next time we go...!"

Cookies with Snoopy

Bear Hug for Snoopy

Boat Ride

Daddy/Katy selfie

Mommy/Daddy selfie

 Sally

And, of course, SNOOPY!

I guess you can officially call us "Southern." Hehehe..!

Wordless Wednesday- Field Trip!

Sentence of the Day- Dancing Cheek to Cheek...

The other day, Lil' Miss was "helping" me get ready for work by handing me my makeup as I applied. Then, after I was all done, she declared that we should, "....snuggle cheek to cheek..." Thinking that she was being sweet and just wanted to cuddle, I put my cheek to her's. After a couple of seconds, she popped up and said, "Yay! Now I have makeup on, too!" (by transference).

Hahahhahaha... that girl...!

Christmas 2015

Christmas Eve Dress, sewn by moi

Christmas 2015 was a quiet affair spent with the Jones grandparents. Katy was lucky enough to spend the whole week preceding Christmas with Nanny and Poppy Jones (Yay!) while Mommy and Daddy had to work (Boo!). She got to go to the library, Painted Pottery and out to lunch with the grandparents. Lucky girl!

We went to church as a family Christmas Eve. The 3PM service was packed at Elevation!

Christmas Eve Jones Family Picture

After we came home from church, we enjoyed a fun, fondue dinner. Lil' Miss got to open gift Christmas Eve (always Pjs). This year, though, it was a matching Dolly and Me Nightgown set for Katy and Samantha! (I swear, that doll is like a fourth member of our family- ha!).

#XmasJammies

The night before Christmas, Katy was super excited! We told her that she could come down no sooner than 7:30AM Christmas morning. Unbeknownst to Ted and I, she woke the grandparents up at 1:30AM to go open presents. The funny part was, Nanny was almost ready to let her do it (until Poppy glanced at his phone and realized that it was only 1:30AM in the morning!).Thankfully, they tucked her back in bed.

Then, at 3:30AM, Lil' Miss was kind enough to wake Ted and I up, too. However, this time, Ted tucked Katy back into bed.

Of course, when it was actually 7:30am in the morning (a decent time to wake up and open presents!), Lil' Miss was fast alseep and sawing logs.... haahhahahahhaha!

We finally got started around 8:30/9AM Christmas morning. Lil' Miss had a pile of presents to go through but she made quick work of it! She's a lucky little girl to have so many people in her life that not only shower her with gifts but love her through and through!!

If I were to pick a theme for this year's Christmas, I'd say it was a very Merry Shopkins Christmas. (Christmas 2013 was brought to you by My Little Ponies, last year was Frozen Themed ;-). Oh, those tiny, characterized plastic figurines of food, clothes and other shop-able items....! Their pull alludes me but they are super, duper popular with the under eight crowd and Katy is no exception. She LOVES Shopkins!!

Katy spent most of the day playing with her new toys. We ended the day with our traditional Chinese Take-out Dinner (no prep, non clean up- Merry Christmas to me!).

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Breakfast with Santa at the American Girl Store 2015

Little girl, BIG dreams!

Last Sunday, as part of her Christmas gift from us, Ted and I surprised Katy with Breakfast with Santa at our local American Girl Store. Reservations for this event were limited and we made them well, well in advance (ie, back in JUNE!).

I sewed up this super cute cute Dolly and Me dress using the Made for Mermaids Brooklyn/Riley Dress PDF sewing patterns. Naturally, Lil' Miss just had to have a fun, new dress for the experience (and, so did Samantha!). This was also my first time purchasing and sewing up some custom knits...! Lots of fun! Because life has been kind of hectic lately, and because, well, it's the holidays... I was sewing these dresses up the night before the event. I hate being last minute but thankfully, I know this pattern by heart and was able to sew them in no time! #sewwinning

Made for Mermaids Brooklyn/Riley Dress

First, we all sat down in the bistro area of the store. We were had our choice of some delicious breakfast dishes- scrambled eggs, french toast, pancakes and more! Katy declared their bacon to be the crispiest, best bacon EVER! Ha!  Each girl (and doll, too!) were also served hot chocolate- with extra whipped cream, of course! (As a side note, both Ted and I agreed that the coffee was particularly strong and delicious! ;-)

Then, while everybody was eating, Santa made his grand entrance. Now, the best part of the whole experience (at least from a parents' perspective) was the fact that Katy just assumed that just going to the AG store and having breakfast was the treat. She didn't realize that she'd get to see Santa, too! When she realized that there was a special guest on top of everything else (breakfast, going to the AG store, etc.).... .well, let's just say that her smile could have lit up the moon...!! Santa made sure to stop at each table and have a little one-on-one time with each girl.

Breakfast with Santa! 

(It just so happened that Katy was chosen to take Zippy, the class pet, home the weekend that we went to Breakfast with Santa. So, naturally, Zippy needed to have a picture with Santa, too! ;-)

Breakfast with Santa occurred before store hours. That means that we (and the other guests) had the store all to ourselves for two whole hours. It was really nice to walk around the store leisurely and not be super crowded (especially around Christmas!). Katy had a blast looking at all of the set-ups and even inserting her own Samantha doll into some of the scenes.

We had lots of fun eating Breakfast with Santa! It truly was a memorable experience (for both Katy and us!).

Wordless Wednesday- Date Night (photo cred to Lil' Miss!)

Wordless Wednesday- Beado with Mommy!

Wordless Wednesday- Lunch with Daddy!

Sentence of the Day- Favorite Things

This morning, Katy was coloring in her reading chart (as she is supposed to do every day for Kindergarten). This month's object to color is a pumpkin (you know- October and pumpkins just seem to go together!). She was "accessorizing" her plain ol' pumpkin(a MUST for our Fancy Nancy!) and giving it a face and hair. Ted asked her if she was giving her pumpkin a "toupee." This promptly started a discussion about toupees and wigs.

Then, as Katy was finishing up her pumpkin/toupee masterpiece, she declared, "Toupee is my most favorite word, EVER!!"

Hahahahha- that girl! I love that she loves words and isn't afraid to ask for a definition and use it (properly) in a sentence.

**As a side note, when I was younger, I used to pick words to be my "favorite." Words like "Pedestrian" and "Millennium" (Followed closely by "millennial." ;-). See, I still remember my own, personal "favorite" words....**

Happy Father's Day 2015

Happy Father's Day, Ted! He makes us laugh, he makes us smile and he does everything in his power to make sure that we are well-provided for. Thank you, Ted, for all that you do for our little family!

Here's this year's installment of  "All about Daddy Questionnaire."

Me, "How old is Daddy?"
Katy, "Fifteen" 

Me, "What is Daddy's full name?"
Katy, "Ted Jones."

Me, "What is Daddy's favorite food?"
Katy, "Wings."

Me, "What is Daddy's favorite color?"
Katy, "Green. And blue."

Me, "What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?"
Katy, "Go on Daddy Daughter Dates"

Me, "What is Daddy's favorite song?"
Katy, "A Muppet song."

Me, "What is Daddy's favorite movie?"
Katy, "Hobbit."

Me, "What is Daddy's job?
Katy, "He works at Lionel."
Me, "What does he do at his job?"

Katy, "He designs cars."

Me, "What makes Daddy really happy?"

Katy, "Me giving him lots of kisses.... and playing salon."

Me, "How tall is Daddy?"

Katy, "I don't know how tall he is, but he's lots taller than you, Mom."

Me, "What's your favorite thing about Daddy?"

Katy, "He makes me laugh. He's funny."

Me, "What is Daddy really good at?"

Katy, "He's good at designing cars. And, he's good at loving me." (So true!)

**If you'd like to take a walk down memory lane, here are Katy's answers to the same questions in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Mother's Day- A Retrospective

Mother's Day 2010

Mothers' Day 2011

Mother's Day 2012

Mother's Day 2013

Mother's Day 2014

Mother's Day 2015

Happy Mother's Day 2015!

Mother's Day, May 10, 2015

Another year, another Mother's Day! I wouldn't be celebrating this Hallmark holiday if it weren't for the birth of our beautiful daughter, Katy Grace, five short years ago. The days may sometimes feel oh, so long, but the years just fly right by....! I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey, thus far. I stand back in amazement at the fulfillment I have found in just five short years of motherhood.

So, here's to the late nights, the sleepless nights, and the occasional well-rested nights. Here's to the down and dirty and the fun and happy! Here's to the wonder of childhood; the amazement, the beautiful awe of observing life anew through the eyes and discovery of your own child. Here's to every inquisitive question and every difficult answer. Here's to the hard choices, the difficult choices, the life-altering decisions that define us as a person, as a family and helps to mold and form our child into the person that they will one day become. Here's to the future- our future, her future, the future.

Simply, Happy Mother's Day 2015!

10th Wedding Anniversary

April 23, 2005

A Decade! 10 years- that's how long Ted and I have been married! 

Excuse me for a moment while I get a little nostalgic...It seems simultaneously long and short (in a good way, of course!). There are moments where I think, "10 years- Wow! That's a long time!" Then, there are moments where I think, "10 years- they just flew by in a blink of an eye!"

There's a sense of accomplishment that comes with hitting the double digits milestone. In some ways, I feel like we've "arrived." As in, we've had enough life experiences together to truly understand how to make our marriage work. We're hardly marriage or love experts, but we are definitely in this forever.

Our life, now- as opposed to 10 years ago- looks a lot different than it did back then....We've had ups- the birth of our beautiful daughter, Katy! We've had downs- the whole condo debacle! There has been a lot of laughter and a lot of tears along the way. We've changed states and cities. We've changed jobs- and in my case, jobless by choice. We've moved, we've traveled, we've cruised and we've enjoyed our little family. I wouldn't change any of it for the world... Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to us! I can't wait to celebrate many, many more!!

Sewing Pattern Testing- Love Notions- Lotus Blossom Blouse- Mommy and Me Style

Love Notions  Lotus Blossom Blouse

I recently had the pleasure of testing some new pdf sewing patterns from the designer, Love Notions. The first Love Notions pdf sewing pattern that I sewed was the Jam Jam Sleepwear Collection through Pattern Revolution's BundleUP sale back in January. Just one pattern.... that's all it took... and now I'm hooked! :-)

The newest Love Notions patterns are the Lotus Blossom Blouse- one for girls and one for ladies. That's right, folks- I sewed something for me! The last time- er, I mean the only other time- I did that was well over a year ago when I tested the Serger Pepper Sheer Plaid Top. The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse was the perfect pattern for me to start doing some self-care sewing....!

Here are the pattern basics:

-The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse comes in sizes girls 2t-16 and ladies XS-XXXL.

-The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse pdf sewing pattern will be sold individually (girls or, ladies), or as a bundle.

-The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse pdf pattern features no-trim pages and pattern size layers (ie, only print the size you need/want).

-The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse is meant to be sewn in drapey knit fabric. While it is best to sew the The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse in a knit fabric that is the same on both sides (ie does not have a right side or a wrong side), the pattern does include instructions on how to seam together a front pattern piece with one-sided knit fabric.

-Instructions on how to shorten/lengthen the pattern pieces are included in the tutorial of the Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse.

-The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse features dolman sleeves and twist-front accent.

-The back of the The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse can either be plain, or cutout (to feature a lace and/or other cool accent fabric).

Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse- Back Detail

Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse- Back

-The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse pdf sewing pattern includes a pattern piece layout, printing chart, fabric requirement chart, size chart and cutting diagram. Links to troubleshooting, glossary, etc. are also included along the left side of the each page. 

Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse- girls size 6 and ladies size Small

Okay! Now, that we've talked about the Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse pattern basics, let's discuss what I sewed up! I sewed up two tops- one for me (ladies size small) and one for Lil' Miss (girls size six). I used lightweight heather grey jersey knit found at Hancock fabric. Both blouses included the cutout feature. The lace cutout was also purchased at Hancock.

For the sake of this test, I decided to make both blouses the same. Lil' Miss LOVED that we could be "twins"! (Though, I have to admit that looking at these pictures of us in our matching blouses does reinforce the fact that Katy is definitely my mini-me!) I figured I might as well make them matching while I can and Lil' Miss still thinks it's fun to match Mommy. ;-P

Personally,I love the flattering fit of the Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse! I like the slight v-neck and the back cutout. The twist in the front perfectly flatters a wide range of body types.

Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse- Front Twist Detail

The Lotus Blossom Blouse pattern itself is filled with pictures and diagrams to help aid in the construction and sewing of the blouse. Tips, bubbled areas and close-up pictures are included to help even the novice sewist be successful. Each step is carefully worded and clearly illustrated. (Be forewarned- this pattern is something of a paper hog because the front twist piece is one long, continuous piece of fabric.)

The Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse is a quick sew! I sewed up the girl's one in about an hour. Cut. Serge. Topstitch and you are good to go! Really, it was that simple!! 

Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse- TWINS!

From the look on her face above, I'd say that it's safe to assume the Love Notions Lotus Blossom Blouse is a winner!! Thank you, Tami, for allowing me to test these patterns for you! I had sew much fun!

***Disclosure: "I received a free pattern in order to pattern test for Love Notions. The opinions expressed here are my own."***

****This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small percentage of the sale.****

Daddy Daughter Date- Cinderella Movie

Cinderella and Prince Charming

Ted took Lil' Miss to the movies, today. They went to see the new Cinderella movie. Of course. ;-P

Naturally, they just HAD to get all dressed up for the occasion. Good thing we just HAPPENED to have a Cinderella costume and Prince Charming costume in our closets.... Hee, hee, hee....! (You might remember them from our Halloween on the High Seas Cruise, a couple of years ago).

Katy reported back to me that she LOVED the movie!! Shocker, I know! Apparently, though, it's a pretty emotional movie. At least to a five year old. There is one scene where the *Spoiler* Stepmother smashes Cinderella's glass slipper and Lil' Miss got really teary eyed and sad.

After the movies, the duo went out for lunch. Subway- Katy's choice. So funny what kids choose!

Both reported back to me that they had lots of fun and would like to do it again, soon!