New (and one old) Cards

After John's brother died a couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to send some personal cards for Mary (his wife) and Hannah and Jenna (daughters). I didn't want to do it right away, because I knew she was probably overwhelmed with all the cards, thoughts, etc. I wanted to send them something personal, just to let them know we're still thinking of them. I'm mailing these out tomorrow.

I really like the way this card came out, although I'm not sure anyone can tell what it is! It's an elephant . . . and Jenna's name. The two "n"s are the legs, "j" is the trunk, "e" is the ear and the "a" is the bum and tail of the elephant. I worked on that design for forever (okay, I admit I was watching TV at the time, too!) and I think it's cute. But it's one of those things that I think maybe only makes sense in my own mind.

This is Hannah's card . . . I made her a rabbit one since she has a rabbit. I purposely tried to make the girls' cards different. Laura made this cousin book last year for all the cousins at Christmas time. It included a picture of every child as well as their favorite things . . . . AND it's laminated! That thing has come in handy, because I knew both girls loved animals and that Hannah's favorite color is blue and Jenna's is pink. I wanted to make them very different cards because you know how sisters are . . . : )

This is Mary's card. I know, I know, another cupcake. BUT, Mary is a baker, so how could I not make her one? I even made her name look like piped icing (I sketched her name in pencil, then outlined it with Glossy Accents. Let that dry, then added blue paint and glitter on top). It's not a great picture, so you can't tell, but her name does pop off the card like icing. She makes the most beautiful and delicious (usually, it's only one or the other, but she's awesome at both) cakes. She made John's groom's cake for those of ya'll that were at our reception. I hope they like these cards!

Finally, this is a card I made years ago. It's supposed to be a pill box. Each opens up individually and has a different button. I've saved this card for years but recently when my VT companion had have surgery s in her 80s on hernia decided put it to good use. It just felt right to give it away, you know?

Girls' Day Out!

Last weekend, I met up with my friend Tina for some shopping in Calhoun. She lives in Atlanta so it was sort of a midpoint. It was such an awesome day. I never get to really go out and do stuff (which is obvious from all the crazy projects I post on this blog!) and to spend a day with such a good friend just felt so nice. Isn't she the cutest?
Unfortunately, neither of us found any of the things we were looking for. Those outlet malls have become so expensive! Half of the stores in there are not even outlet stores. I think we would've fared better at the mall, but at least we got some bonding time WITHOUT CHILDREN! Plus, we found a little park to eat lunch and just talk. There were a bunch of huge geese there that totally freaked me out (they're mean! I'm always afraid they'll bite me!) but other than that, it was so nice to get out and to hang out with my bud. I've known Tina for most of my life and I love how we can meet up and just be comfortable. It feels just like old times! We get along so well and I just love her, love her, love her! Good friends are hard to find . . . she's a keeper!

Crazy Charlie

John loves to give me a hard time about how my blog is called "Charles in Charge", but I only talk about myself. All I have to say is the guy IS in charge of my life, no matter what my blog says!

Last week he had an allergy test to see what was causing his wheezing, runny nose and constant tummy trouble. After that horrible, painful test we found out . . . he's allergic to nothing. The doctor said that he does have asthma and now he's on medication. I've noticed a change in him already. He coughs much less, sleeps better and eats better. Next stop is probably the pediatric GI to find out what's causing his tummy problems. We're not looking forward to any more tests, but it's important to find out what's wrong with him. My family has a history of colon cancer, so I'm very concerned about his health.

I feel guilty I haven't posted more pictures of him but . . . he's too fast for me! But just to prove that I do indeed have a two year old son, here are some pictures. I have some funny videos too, but it'll take awhile for me to get those together. He's, er, "tooting" in this picture. I think he's actually saying, "Whoa, toot!" He says this phrase every time he passes gas. Every. Time.

I hope he aspires to be more than a trucker in a diaper. It's cute now, but in a couple of decades I think that's a felony.

He saw me making a bow for my Snow White costume and thought it was a "hat." He begged me to let him wear it. But, as John said, "You didn't have to put it on him!!!" BTW, Charlie was convinced that I was Superman for Halloween! Blue top, red cape . . . makes sense!

He's hanging on for dear life calling, "Mom! Help!" I did what any sensible mother would do. I grabbed the camera. He's got a firm grip, so I wasn't worried. : )

Self-explanatory.

One of Charlie's favorite games is pushing the stroller up the driveway (it's a little steep), then letting it go. He runs down the hill and does it over and over again. This day, it was pouring outside. And yes, I let him play in the rain. Man, this post is kind of showing what a lame parent I am!

This is another thing he does every day. He has dozens of cars and trucks that he places all over the living room in rows. It's very "Rain Man" and a little scary, but whatever keeps him out of trouble is fine with me.

He likes to use his mini sofa as a tumbling apparatus more than an actual chair.

And this is what too many suckers on Halloween does to you at dinnertime. (You don't want to know what it does to his diapers for the week after . . . )

I thank Heavenly Father every day and night for this little guy. He is so sweet and fun. He's trouble, but it's worth it!

Pathetic.

What's more pathetic than two twentysomething siblings still living with their parents? Two twentysomething siblings still living with their parents with a matching wardrobe.

Two twentysomething siblings still living with their parents with matching t-shirts.

I blogged this one awhile ago. I look horrible in this picture, but had to take it because we seriously just happened to be wearing matching shirts that day. It was funny. A one-time deal. A fluke.

Then this happened.

I'm laughing in this picture to keep from crying.

Wall Hangings

I got this idea from Janet Mendenhall. This is an earring holder made from a shadow box frame. I glued aluminum screening (what you use for a screen door) to it and pasted some pretty paper to the backing. I added some rhinestones for a little "bling" and I'm really happy about how it came out. I made this for my sis-in-law Mari's birthday because she wears lots of earrings, but is always losing them. She only wears dangly ones, so the screening is perfect for holding them. if you want to make one for earrings with posts, I would do it the Janet way . . . she used a normal frame and staples a wider craft screening. She then makes her own stilt to attach to the top so it can rest on a dresser. The one I made was designed to hang on a wall, so her girls can't reach it! Plus, why can't we display jewelry like art? I love the idea of decorating with things you already own.
I mentioned to Mari how I wanted to figure out how to make a necklace holder, since I don't wear earrings. Well, a month later on my birthday, look at what Mari surprised with!

I love this. She totally knows my style . . . notice how the paper she used matches with all those necklaces?

So this last one I made last week for Eloise's (Mari's 1 year old) birthday. I flocked her name, so it's fuzzy!

Anniversary

October 18th was our 8th anniversary. That Saturday morning, John and I went to the Hunter Art Museum. (Thanks for the babysitting, Grandma and Grandpa Flynn!) By the way, I chose "No One" as the theme for this post because John and I don't have a "song." We're just not "song" people. But we have been known to scream "No One" in the car, especially the "Oh oh oh OH!" part. We scream a lot of songs in the car. :)

For those of you non-Chattanoogans, the museum is a historic mansion with a huge modern addition added to it. That theme of traditional and modern art runs through the whole museum and I just love it. This is the first time we've been to the museum since the addition and we were blown away. It is definitely worth the price of admission. Although, I'd recommend wearing flat shoes. I wore these 4 inch heel boots and they made so much noise! I was really embarrassed about that.

It was such a great date. The next time you go to an art museum, be sure to take someone with an art degree! I thought I knew a lot about art, but John was able to explain the different processes and what it actually takes to create some of these things. It really made me appreciate the work so much more. We enjoyed the glass exhibit the best. It made John realize that he "needs" a glass kiln. He really is good at it . . . here's a little piece he did while he was at SCAD.

Afterwards, we got a snack at Rembrant's Cafe . . . my heaven. And yes, I cannot eat most of that stuff but it's just wonderful to look at. Heck, I think just one sniff in that place is worth at least 70 calories. I played it safe with an orange poppy seed muffin . . . and it was fantastic. If you've never been, you've got to go to this cafe.

Overall, I just feel so blessed to have such a handsome, kind, talented, wonderful man. I first saw John at a church dance when I was 14. I actually asked him to dance, even though he was 17, which is like decades when you're that age. He was so kind and cute (with bleached hair at the time by the way--ha!) that I couldn't help but be smitten. John doesn't remember this, of course, because he had a girlfriend at the time. Heck, I thought his name was John Flint for forever. But I'm grateful he doesn't remember this incident, because I remember what I was wearing and SHUDDER!

A few months ago my friend Tina was flipping through an old journal and found an entry I had written. I had posted a list of the men I was going to marry. Guess who was on the list? "John Flint." Tina swears up and down that it was "The Secret," but if that were true, wouldn't I also be married to Simon Rex and Tom Cruise? Heck, I don't remember all the names on that dumb list!

When I was pregnant, whether I shave my legs or not, whether I'm gassy . . . John has never made me feel less than beautiful. He truly is my best friend. I admire how laid back he is and how he never lets me take myself too seriously. He's never been anything but supportive in all my endeavors, especially writing. He may be painfully shy at times, but he also does a dead on Gollum impression and can't help but belly laugh through an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos. How many women can say they got to marry a teenage crush? Love you John!

FIXED!

I think I got all the picture problems from yesterday solved. I'm sorry if you got on here yesterday only to find a bunch of blank pictures! If you're still having problems, let me know . . . unless you're Brian Haddad. : )

Halloween . . . and a "Twilight" treat!

Just be forewarned, there are several Halloween posts to follow (or, actually they are previous posts . . . however you read it, there's a bunch!). By now, you must know how much I love this holiday, although, I think I'm totally burnt out on it after all this!

John as Billy Mays and me as Snow White. I've had this costume for years and decided to dust it off again. Believe it or not, John had the idea to be Billy Mays LAST year before Billy died. He even bought that blue shirt last year in anticipation, but just never followed through. This year, I followed through . . . and it took an entire morning of Googling, Photoshop-ing, cutting and ironing to bring this baby to life:

John got so many compliments at both parties, and he even won "Best Celebrity Look-Alike" at our Trunk or Treat. And Charlie was a dino as you can tell from the previous posts!

Here's Ethan (my little bro, for those of you who don't know) and his girlfriend Lauren dressed as the Mad Hatter and Alice for their Halloween party. I made his bow tie and the "10/6" card for his hat . . . she's also wearing an apron I'd been saving for a decade just in case I ever wanted to be Alice for Halloween. I just gave it to her, because if it hadn't happened yet, it wasn't going to, eh?

Here is what they really should have been for Halloween. I'm not really a "Twilight" fan, but I think it's freakish how much they resemble Edward and Bella!

This was our candy bowl at midnight (we were watching a movie and didn't want to answer the door) . . . proof Signal Mountain is the best town in the world!

John and I spent Halloween night watching "Drag Me to Hell." I had to drag John to watch it because he HATES horror movies. At one point he squeezed my knee so hard I thought it would pop! Anyway, it was one of those movies that was so fun to watch, but you feel like you're going to burn for enjoying it. It was totally disgusting and hilarious at the same time. It was refreshing to see a horror movie heroine that didn't exploit her body the entire time. She was just a nice girl . . . that gets into a lot of nasty, crappy situations . . . like probably some of the grossest and unappealing catfights you could imagine. Hmm . . . maybe this wasn't such a feminist movie after all . . . a nice girl keeps her clothes on and still gets the crap beaten out of her.

Trunk or Treat 2009

I would have to say this year's Trunk or Treat was the best I've ever been to. Since John was dressed as Billy Mays, our trunk had to be an infomercial. We created a product called "Blood Shots." It was a spray bottle filled with Koolaid, apple cider and corn syrup. The kids (and especially the parents) were totally skittish at first, but it eventually caught on. "Billy" had some repeat customers come back 5 or 6 times!

Here's a pic of our favorite customer: President Mendenhall! Halloween rocks.

Here's precious Stella, a shy, adorable girl. I asked her if she was a hippie for Halloween and she answered that no, she was Taylor Swift. I answered, "Well, I'm Kanye West," and grabbed her candy bag from her. She just smiled like this--I'm not sure if she got the joke or if she was just plain terrifed! Probably a combination of both . . .

For our treats, John and I handed out these candy sticks.

I found them at the store and bought them out of pure nostalgia. I hadn't seen them in forever and remembered loving them as a kid. I failed to remember that they resemble CIGARETTES (which is probably why I liked them--being naughty without really being naughty, that's my bag after all!). After the blood shots (in which we probably could have created a swine flu epidemic of epic proportions in the branch!) and passing out candy cigarettes, I think the Flynns will be banned from Trunk or Treat in the future!

For a ALL the pictures of this awesome bash, visit my Facebook page or my web album.

Flynn Halloween Party 2009

Every year, John's parents host a Halloween party. There were tons of cousins for Charlie to play with. I love to watch them all play and interact as they grow older.

At the end of the party, they played the movie, "Monster House." As you can tell from these pictures, it's not a movie for the 2-7 year old set! (Notice how Sandro, the oldest, (top right) is grinning ear to ear.) Although I found myself totally absorbed in the story . . . I really liked it!

Thanks for a great time, guys!