today

A couple weeks ago I ran across some old poems that I'd written when I was younger. This particular poem I wrote as a 9th grader. Funny how something I wrote back when I was a lot younger is fitting for where I am in life right now in this moment.

......................................

Today

Today has much more meaning than it's ever had before.
What once was a maze in which I was a prisoner,
Is now a world of open doors.
I don't limit myself to what I think is obviouse,
But strive for the unknown.
Today I put my left foot forward and marche towards my hopes,
dreams, and goals.
These things I once gave up on,
I never believed I really deserved.
But today is a new beginning,
And from my experiences of yesterday... I have learned.

~Rachel M. Graham
April 6, 1998

buggy: mission accomplished

Late last night I finally got the pictures together for the kids' gift to their mom for Mother's Day. Initially, I wanted one main photo. But when I finally took some pics, I only got one of the boys that would suite (almost) for a main picture. Well, the photo taken was a vertical shot and I needed something horizontal. So, I talked to Ben about it (yes, the 3 year old. the boy has great ideas.) and he told me that he wanted a lot of pictures in the frame. So, I asked, "Like squares?" "Umm... how about we do circles, Rachel? I think circles would be good?" In the end, I couldn't figure out how to make the circles on the computer (yes, it probably is quite simple. don't laugh at me.) so we decided to stick with a lot of pictures and make a collage. I made the collage and had it printed up as a 4x6 print and some of the photos ended up running off the page. (mind you, this is at about 10pm the night before we're supposed to give it to his mom.) So, I had to improvise. The photos I attached below are the finished frame with the pictures. The photos I used are the ones that didn't run off the page at all or too much. Before I printed the 4x6 I had intentionally cropped all the photos a lot because it was a collage. Anyway, this is the finished gift.


The boys gave it to their mom today and she loved it! She loved everything... the fingerprints, their bugs, the label, "their lil' pictures". (she wanted to know how I got ben to smile normal) She had tears in her eyes and she told the boys she was going to take it to her office at the hospital so she can always look at it when she's away (she's a doctor). Ben and Carter were so excited about giving the gift to her too and wanted to help her open it. They were jumping up and down saying, "Do you like your beautiful present and cards?" (they made cards, too, which we attached to the gift bag with a yellow ribbon.) It was just too cute!!!

buggy: part 2

Today, the boys and I attempted Part 2 of the Mommy Day Gift Project. After yesterday, I wasn't exactly sure how today would turn out. I was ready for an all out paint war. But, as it turns out, I was reminded that everything usually works out at some point and today was just that point.

The minute I walked through the door today, Ben was ready to get started. He told his dad, "We're making a present for Mommy". If he hasn't already told his mother about the surprise, I'm sure he will!

We waited to start until after Carter's nap. At which point, we broke out the paints, put on some big bibs so the kids wouldn't get paint on the front of their clothes, and started creating. Ben made his fingerprint bugs first, and Carter followed. It was so cute watching Ben make the bugs and seeing Carter watch him through the magnifying glass from their bug catching kit. (pic: ben making bugs as carter, very closely, watches them take form.)


After their lil' prints were all over the picture frame mat and were drying, I got out a small label and had Ben write a note to his mommy. After he did that, Ben found some sticky rhinestone dots in my art bin and wanted to use them. So, we put a few on the label. Not that the label needed them... with Ben's note in his three year old handwriting, it was sweet enough on it's own. We'll put the note in the bottom of the mat later. (pic: the label/note. and, yes. a 3 year old did write that all by himself.)

(pic: drying bugs.)


Once the kids made the label, I decided to make a second attempt at a main picture for this crawly frame. They were much more loving today and weren't so much "up in each other's grill", as their mommy says. ha! (ben says, "I'm NOT up in his grilllll!") I got a lot of cute ones but only one where they're both looking at the camera and smiling. I even got a few of them looking at each other laughing and smiling. So sweet. (pic: love this. i love how ben is holding that label.)


After the kids' second nap, the paint had dried and it was time to make the antennas, dots, and faces for the buggies. Ben woke up from his nap too early and told me, "I don't wanna do dat Rachel. You can do dat part!" So, I did. After it was done, the kids couldn't stop looking at it and wanting to hold it. Ben had to kiss it. Carter just smiled big when I told him, "Look at this! You did that!" I'm proud of them. They did a good job and are fun to craft with! (pic: precious)


Tomorrow, I will work on getting the pictures together and printed and we'll add the label to the frame. Then, voila!... It'll be done!

buggy

I am a nanny. With Mother's Day being Sunday, I thought it necessary to come up with a craft for the boys to make and give to their own mama for the special holiday. After walking around Michael's Craft Store for almost two hours ( as embarrassing as that is) I decided to buy a picture frame and have the boys decorate the mat that came inside it. Basically, Ben and Carter are going to dip their lil' fingers in paint and make bugs (such as, lady bugs and butterflies) out of their cute fingerprints.

Today, I went to work bearing a toy bug catching set and my camera ready to snap the perfect picture to put in this preciously bug infested frame (which, we will make tomorrow). They were so excited about finding the little insects and by the end of the afternoon, their mesh covered bug holder was filled with "bug rocks". Really, they're just rocks but Ben says that bugs live under rocks so it's all the same. Yes, I should have known that already. (pic: carter carrying the captured "bug rocks".)

They (meaning the TWO of them) especially loved the (meaning ONE) plastic magnifying glass that came with the kit. (pic: cute huh? I think carter stole it from him right after this was taken.)

About that perfect picture for the project: Kids have a way of changing your plans. Ben and Carter decided that today would be a perfect day to not want anything to do with one another. They caught no bugs on our hunt... just the "bug rocks"... and the only bugs they saw were themselves bugging each other. They absolutely did not want to take a picture together and after quite a long time of coaxing, I was able to get one picture of them together. (pic: this WAS the best they would give me)


Ha! Oh well! On to part 2 of the making of the Mama's Day gift. Hopefully, they won't want to get more paint on each other than on the frame.

ooh la la

I love all things French and that is why I love The Paris Market store in Savannah, GA!

At 3:30am on April 24th, I packed my suitcase, filled my suv's tank up, and drove the 8 hours from Nashville to the beautiful and quite peachy town of Savannah. My Mom, who lives where I grew up in Michigan, has always wanted to visit Savannah. Well, her 50th birthday was that weekend and what better reason than that to head down there and celebrate it southern belle/tourist style (and southern gent style, for my step-dad who was there as well).

The first day there, we were strolling the beautiful streets when we came across The Paris Market store. I dragged my parents inside. I HAD to! And, they couldn't complain... "C'est la vie", right? YUPPERS! I stepped inside and "ooh, la la"! Tables and counters were filled with french antiques, fun little trinkets you could only find in Paris until God sent the owners to open up this little shop and make them available to all us fine americans, French toilet water :o) that smells like lavender, books galore, eiffel towers, chandeleirs, and a little cafe area with the menu painted onto a huge mirror in back of the counter. Let's not forget the fruit water in the pretty etched paris decanters (how I wish I had a fancier name for them right now), and the delightfully sweet infused water I had that tasted like a pina colada straight outta paris via mexico (I gave into the barista's beverage suggestion!)... What a treat! C'est magnifique! (Are you havin' enough yet of my french jibber jabber?)

Anyway, I just had to post some of the pics from this cute petit (sorry... more french) shop! I took so many pictures with my new camera when I was in Savannah, that I will have to post some in another blog entry or you can just check out my flickr page. So, mosey on back over here soon to read about our other dixieland adventures while in georgia and to see a few pics from the one and only Paula Deen's restaurant, some of the beautiful historic homes, lush garden squares, and a few pics of spanish moss thrown in for good measure!

Au revoir mes amies!!!! (I know I know... I had to give ya one more jib jab for the road!)