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http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Once-Upon-a-Ruffle/178807425477444

Current deals! Ready to ship!

Playdate

We love play dates! Meeting with Anna, Danica, Max and Emmaline at one of our local parks was a blast!

Shiloh's 5th bday

Happy Birthday Shiloh! My newest project, finished and shipped! Thought I would share some new stuff ..I will post more later today. We are off to a playdate :)

Wonderful Wednesday

  So this wasn't what I planned on blogging about today, but I couldn't NOT write about it. Today (and everyday for that matter) is a wonderful day for me.....because I have my beautiful girl to look at, kiss, and hug. So I wanted to pay tribute to a mom(family) who has recently lost her daughter.....she will never share those joys with her little lady again...and I couldn't imagine nor pretend to understand the strength it takes for them to make it day to day.. I wish I happened across their blog under brighter days, where I could smile at her milestones & ohhh and awww at her gorgeous little self when new pictures were posted. Instead I fight the losing battle with these tears when I read about this awesome little family.
 Today we(the Moores) celebrated the life of Madison, her mom blogged that since Maddie always wore big bows that by wearing one today (the day she was put to rest) and even sending a picture to her in an e-mail would be appreciated. I was absolutely happy to do so..it's something so simple yet so significant.

Read about her story and see her sweet face here http://kandjstaats.blogspot.com/

XOXO

A day with Grampy

Emerson and I spent the day with Grandpa running errands. He took us to the hanger to move his plane. She had a blast watching all of the big planes take off and land and pointed at the sky in amazement.

Em and her Grampy.

Motivational Monday.........or maybe not?!

So from now on I will be referring to my Monday's as a motivational day to start my week off, instead of the usual day of dread. Now that I am a SAHM I have time to do things that I have put off for way too long.

*Note yesterdays post about vacuuming baseboards.

I will be organizing...cleaning....DIY projects...annnd finishing up a few projects that we started but never got around to finishing.
Today my husband will be in charge of the motivation for our monday since he is off ..and I have a lunch date anyways :)

THIS WAS HOW MY BLOG STARTED THIS MORNING....before I left for lunch, and while Shane was in the middle of raking......I intended on posting pics and finishing up once the day was done..and that would be now..but you are about to read of todays events which turned out completely different than intended.

Here are the before photo's that I snapped...my yard was begging to be raked for so long that the leaves are half decomposed and if left another week I would probably have my own supply of crude oil.

So.. I went to lunch with Dannette a good friend of mine and we ate delicious Mexican at Micasitas..always a tasty treat..we gabbed and eventually finished up..so I headed home, stopping at Wendy's to get a spicy chicken sandwich for my hard working hubby......as I turn the corner to my street I can see a huge plume of thick smoke..and was thinking to myself..hmmmm they said on the news this morning that today was a HORRIBLE day to burn because it was so windy out(we live outside of city limits)...what moron would risk that?!

  As I get closer to my house..I see that the smoke is coming from my freakin backyard!!! Pulling into the driveway I notice the moron's Shane's car is gone...and the gate to the privacy fence is open...which allowed me to catch a peek of 10ft tall bright orange flames!!! OMGEEEEEE, right?!

 I sprang out of my car..door left open...baby still strapped in her seat.(I did manage to turn it off though..phew!). I got the hose (that was on fire)....turned the water on and immediately became fire fighter of the year. I battled with random spots that caught fire and a HUGE pile of leaves that went up when the smoldering ashes from the burn pit caught wind.

 You won't guess who pulls up in the middle of it all......my husband, with a Zaxbys bag in hand. You have no idea how bad I wanted to drop kick that bag into the burning pile of leaves.....but didn't! I instead shot a pissy little glare in his direction......passed him the hose and went to get Emerson from the car. I put her down for a nap only to return with my camera! Bahaha.
 That didn't make him too happy. Ohhhh Well.. it made me giggle :)

The pictures are after it was somewhat under control..I think it would have been a tid irresponsible of me to grab my camera first, then the hose.

Our friendly neighbor behind us(whom before today we never met) also decided to drop by to tell us "today is a stupid day to burn" and "if it spreads to my yard I am going to be pissed".....really sir? How about you wait until the fire is extinguished before you speak in douche..I may just "forget" to water down the right side of my yard to ensure your storage shed is no more.

Anyways, I spent the next hour outside with the hose making sure the flames didn't reignite, so that Shane could enjoy his choice of Zaxby's or Wendys for lunch. I might have smelled like Smokey the bear...but at least I still have a house(and my neighbor has his shed)!

So needless to say Motivational Monday will officially start next week!!!!

Picnic at the park

  It was another nice day and we totally took advantage of it. Yesterday was spent vacuuming baseboards and washing cars...so we decided to head out to Mazarick park for a picnic and some play time. They have walking trails, tennis courts, a baseball field, a decent size lake, a few play grounds all in the woods. So I stocked our cooler with:
ham and turkey sandwiches
tomato and mozzarella caprece
apples and caramel dip
and a few nilla wafers for dessert
  We loaded up the biggest quilt we own, and the jogging stroller to make the 35 minute drive. Once we got there we set everything up for the picnic, ate and decided to get out and about before it got too chilly for Emerson. She sat in her stroller talking and pointing for the whole 2 mile trek. We managed to lose both shoes and had to turn around to find them..eventually we did :) Her fave part was getting out and playing of course..it hasn't been warm often enough for us to take her to an actual park, so it has been a few months since she has been. The changes in how she plays now from the fall are HUGE! She loved the big swirly slide and wanted to go down 20 times. It was sooo nice to squeeze in that family time we will sadly be missing in a few months. I am secretly counting down the days until July,19th in the back of my mind...and dreading its arrival.

Shane and Em on the dock

Notice the no shoe situation

Paved trail

The pipe Shane and I crossed when we were little. He just couldn't resist.

Da-da.

Playing!

Oompa Loompa doopity doo

Emerson looks like she was auditioning for jersey shore at dinner tonight...she rubbed ravioli everywhere.....

Even after a bath her eyebrows are still red..Grrrrreeeaaaat!

Best idea EVER! What, What!!!

I am soooo smart!! Since my nugget is tall and skinny a lot of her summer clothes (6-9m) still fit her but when it comes to jeans and long sleeves forget about it! I have to get bigger sizes for the length but then it's too big on her body. I hope I was able to pass along her daddy's skinny jeans genes..seems to be true so far.
 So I was going through her clothes to find her something to wear on this gorgeous day of 70 degrees..and came across some dresses...well since she is soo tall it would have been a really short dress...but paired with jeans she has a new shirt! She has tons of dresses that I can do this to...match it with shorts/capris..whatever she's feeling that day...I don't think it's that noticeably originally meant to be a dress..just thought I would share!

The break up...

Today was my last day at work for AT&T Mobility. I wish I could say it was bittersweet but it honestly was just SWEET! It's sad that it has come down to that but I hated everything about my job. I can't believe this chapter of my life has finally come to an end. I have waited for this day for 6 years...the last day I would have to scan my badge, walk through those double doors, make my way through the maze of desks to my seat, clock in, put my headset on, log into the phone and 50 different systems, hear the beep beep(our incoming call warning) and say "Thank you for calling at&t about your wireless service, my name is Dionna Moore and I will absolutely be happy to resolve your issue today...may I ask who I am speaking with?" ....
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! WOOT WOOT WOOT!!
 I can't tell you how easily I am breathing as I sit here and type this out. My manager bawled as I hugged her goodbye...I think she was crying because my departure meant she actually had to do some work. As she cried I was thinking..I couldn't cry if I wanted to! I am not even the slightest bit sad. I seriously only said farewell to her and 2 others out of 500 people in the building. I practically ran to the exit...and as the doors locked behind me I couldn't help but grin the whole walk to my car. By far the easiest break up ever! Goodbye FOREVER at&t...and hello unlimited time with my pooter pot pie!!!!!

Happiest day EVER! I hope your Thursday was as fabulous as mine lovers!

Some of MY must have's for motherhood

  So I belong to an awesome January 2010 board, where all of us moms were able to connect during our pregnancies and we now share the poop stories  joys of raising our sweet little one's. I got the idea of this blog from one of our threads. I wanted to share some of the items that came in handy and a few total life savers from the last 12 months. Do note that every experience is totally different and what works for some may not for others. Nonetheless I thought this would be fun!

1.) BOPPY - perfect for napping/eating/lounging


2.) BELLY BANDIT- C-section mom's this one is a must have during recovery.





3.) TRAVEL SYSTEM - If you like to do a lot out doors don't waste your time with a standard system or you will end up like me spending double on both. Get this instead!





4.) Podee- hands free feeding for your nugget. Life saving when your driving/strolling and baby needs to eat. We travelled a lot.(BRU)



5.) BOON SPOON- again we travelled ton's but this was helpful even just on the go. You empty the baby food in the handle and squeeze it on to the spoon.

6.)SPACE SAVER HIGH CHAIR- I didn't get one because I thought I don't need to save on space! BUT in all actuality again for those who travel or even just going to Grandma's this is perfect..why have a full size one when you can have a "travel size" and it serve the same purpose.




7.) FORMULA CONTAINER-  As a first time mom...I had no idea these existed! Thankfully I had seen a friend with one. I was using zip-loc bags!! I would have been lost!

 
8.) BUMBO-  Perfect for early feeding..hanging out..works great when safely on the counter while doing dishes..and putting shoes and socks on when they get a bit older.



9.) PACIFIER CLIP- ......never leave the house without it!!!!!!



10.) AWESOME DIAPER BAG- One that has open sides where the zipper is or a open back pocket to shove things in the bag without having to open it..convertible straps..changing pad..internal zipper pockets..I could go on and on...my diaper bag doubles as my purse when Em comes along..so it must be functional!


There are so many more that I can post...but I think 10 should suffice! Now back to my Wednesday :) Have a happy one!

Oh, Tuesday

By 10 A.M. this morning I had heard more bad news than I had in all of last year. I won't go way in to detail but part of it was my MIL was sick and had to stay home. Considering she is my babysitter, that also meant that I had to stay home. Another impromptu day with my girl, definitely not a complaint though.
I had to pick up my nephews, Briar and Tucker from the bus stop and bring them to my house for a few hours. The only things I can say is that having 3 kids = exhausting(and I wanted maybe 4?!..totally now rethinking)..and it also accentuates that my house is way too small. We played..and ate..they played.I baked..I cleaned..they messed it back up..WHEW!



I tilted my head back in the middle of typing this for a second and my eyes totally closed. No joke!! Reminder: it's only 8:00 P.M. I must get this finished before I cuddle up on my couch with my hunny..unfortunately, I don't think I am going to last long enough to watch Teen Mom :(..(so like me to get side tracked)

I will add that today Em had on one of the cutest outfits. Girl clothes are so fun, I am totally glad this go around I ended up with a little lady.

BE MINE!..ok I will.

Today is Valentines day..and I absolutely LOVED today. I spent the day with my little lady. We planned on finger painting daddy a valentine..but we spent too much time playing and forgot. I will take a second to mention my big Valentine, my hubby..and how thankful I am for him everyday and not just today. I remember when we first met in early 2006. I thought he was cute but didn't see myself in a relationship with him. BUT we became fun(yes..fun)friends and from that first date forward we were inseparable. There was rarely a day that went by that we didn't see each other.This was our first picture together in 2006 at a Halloween party.


He is my second half. My opposite. My biggest fan. My best friend. My life. and My husband.
On 2/14/08 he proposed to me and we became valentines forever on 10/25/08.


Now for my little valentine..my sweet girl! It's amazing how in such a small amount of time you see such big differences! It's Emmy's second go round at this holiday.



Today after I gave Em her Vday surprises





we played in the back yard with her new ball..she picked up pine cones and threw them around..swung in her pink swing on the back porch..and ate some of her gummi treats. I put her in her push car and we took a stroll to grandma's house down the street to give her a cute little gift.(both grandma's got the same thing).

I love these days..Simple but packed with fun and cuteness. Makes me soo thankful for my family and the love that I am sooo lucky to have in my life. So HAPPY DAY everyone! I will leave you with a few more pics from today.