Dayna Bug

All this talk about number one makes me not want to leave out number 2! I am not sure where I came up with that nickname, but I started saying it early on, and it just stuck!

We were at Chick fil A with Uncle Josh and Aunt Sarah, whom she just adores!!, and snapped this picture. What a doll!! I can't believe how fast she has grown up! She will be 3 in a month and I honestly don't know where the time has gone...

Lost Tooth!!

I don't remember when I lost my first tooth, but I remember it being such a momentous thing. And the waiting in anticipation for the tooth fairy! I also remember the moment I discovered the tooth fairy was not real. I lost a tooth and didn't inform the parents. I hid the tooth under my pillow and just waited. Nothing happened and I was crushed! Why I felt the need to know the truth, I don't know. I should've just gone along with it and enjoyed the fun. Well, we told Emma that the tooth fairy would be visiting her and she was so excited! The next morning she came into my room before I got up and showed me her dollar!!

Branson actually had to pull it, because it was just barely hanging on and I could see her accidentally eating it! She was fine until she saw the blood to follow. She freaked out and was a bit dramatic :o) I know......not Emma!!

First Day of School!

Emma started her first day of kindergarten on August 20th. She is having a great time!! I asked her what was her favorite part of kindergarten and she said, "Oh mama, just everything!" So cute. Here are some pictures of her in her uniform. Of course, Dayna just had to get in on it too!

Sporting the Tinkerbell backpack!

Emma left her lunchbox, not a surprise considering all the other necessary items that had to go along the first day. I thought, she will just buy lunch today. Emma started to cry a very hurt cry. So, being the sucker I am, I went all the way home and got her lunch and brought it to school. I just wanted everything to go right for her the first day. Crisis averted!!

Back To School!!!

I knew this day was coming and truthfully, I am very excited for Emma!! She is starting K-5 on Wednesday this week!! We went to orientation this past week, where she got to see her classroom and of course see who was in her class. She has been going to our school since 2 years old, just like half the kids in her class, so she pretty much knew everyone. I am doing okay with the thought that my first-born is starting school this year. I am excited to see her growing up.

I love our school!!! They have the best program I know of. I am glad the Emma gets to be a part of it all. Her teacher is amazing. Emma is very fortunate to have her.

Needless to say, we can't wait for Wednesday! Oh, yeah, Emma has a loose tooth, too!! I will post a picture as soon as that baby falls out! So cute...she told me that she needs to put it in a bucket and an angel will come and take it and give her money :o)

Adventures with the Durham Bulls

The company I work for hosted Family Night with the Durham Bulls last night. I was so excited to take Branson and the girls!! The girls were really excited about it, especially seeing Wooly Bull again! Dayna is completely freaked out by any kind of mascot, but likes to see them from a distance.

Here is Wooly Bull.

They also had a special guest last night...Bugs Bunny! This is Dayna's impression of him!

After each home run, this bull's eyes light up and he snorts! They hit 3 homers last night.

Here is Bugs Bunny...Emma and Dayna loved seeing him.

This was the closests I could get Emma to taking a picture with Bugs!! What a cutie!

I wasn't sure how this would turn out since I took it myself...it turned out cute!

After the game we had a fireworks show. The kids absolutely loved it!! It is probably the best fireworks show I have been too.

Adventures in Charlotte!

We went to Charlotte 2 weeks ago for our annual comic book convention trip! It was a lot of fun, though very tiring because we walked around all day!! We stayed at the Hilton, which I would highly recommend! The pillows, comforter, shower, everything was great. Charlotte is a great city. Downtown is under construction, so parking was a challenge, but it was a very clean city.

Branson with Spiderman!!

Ironman was amazing :o)

This was my favorite part of the trip...27 yards of new, beautiful fabric. We went to an awesome fabric store in Gastonia...honestly I could die a very happy woman there!!

Quilts by Design

I have begun a new blog entitled quilts by design. You I am going to use that blog to keep my quilting updates and information and devote this blog to other things. I really like the way that it has turned out so far. Head over and check it out!! http://quiltsbydesign.blogspot.com

Life in a Cube

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I started a new job recently. I really enjoy what I am doing now. After 10 years of working in a classroom, I now work in a cube.

At first, it was a little confining, but now I really like it. It is my own personal area.

Check out the stuffed lion above the map!! I always think it is a person's head!

Reminders of God's Goodness

We have all heard of Ted Kennedy's latest health issues and have been touched by the news. He went home from Duke Hospital today, according to reports, and is doing well. This story is all too familiar for me. Two years ago this past February, my husband Branson was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They say it was the size of a golf ball. It wasn't cancer, thank God, but it was causing problems. Branson was losing his peripheral vision and was having horrible headaches. We brushed off the symptoms, thinking it was "stress." At the time, our children were 3 and 6 months. I was devastated by his diagnosis. I thought he would not survive this and that I would be left alone. Dr. Friedman, Ted Kennedy's surgeon, removed the tumor from my husband's brain. Here we are, two years later, thanking God for his goodness and for His love. I think of how many things I don't deserve and one of those is my husband. With Father's Day approaching, I think I couldn't have chosen a better man for my children's father. He is kind, fun, fair, loving, and firm. God's goodness guided Dr. Friedman's hands and gave me my husband back and I am so very thankful.

A Couple of Cuties!

I love this picture of my 2 beauties!!!

Aren't they adorable!!

It's Been A While!!

I started this blog with the best intentions...keep it up to date! Life just has a way, doesn't it?
We've had some major happenings here in Raganville...after 10 years of teaching, I started a new job on May 27th. Not that I didn't love teaching, I did. My favorite part about teaching is seeing the "light come on." I think my patience levels are just not what they used to be. I am really enjoying working in an office with adults...so quiet!

My Newest Quilt Top

A little history first: I taught K-4 this year and my oldest daughter, Emma, was one of my students. Boy that was interesting :o) Anyway, Teacher Appreciation Week was 2 weeks ago and my husband found this amazing fabric for me from Emma (isn't that sweet).

I found a pattern that I loved out of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine called Scottish Stars. It took a little over a week to put the top together and now here it is in all its glory! There are many points that have been cut off, unfortunately, but you cannot really see them if you stand back and squint! This is the most challenging quilt I have done so far, but I like the outcome!

Here is a close up of the star block.

My quilting history

I have been in love with quilting for about 3 years. In fact, my love affair began in the summer of 2005 when I was expecting my 2nd child, Dayna. I am not even sure how it started really. No one I know quilts. Maybe it was a book I saw that was bargain priced at $15 that gave every instruction imaginable for the new quilter...whatever the spark, it has certainly developed into a passion. I love hearing about the history of quilting and how it has always been a connecting thread among women. It was an integral part of a woman's world. All members of her family were somehow touched with her needle and thread. While quilting doesn't define who I am, it is a way to express myself to the people in my life. I am including a picture of my first quilt, which was made for my 1st child, Emma, for Christmas (she was 2 1/2). I had intended it to be a gift from the new baby, but Dayna was born 2 weeks early, putting my plans on hold. It is a modest quilt that she uses even now. It was inspired by my tile floor in my kitchen, of all things!

Emma turns 5!!

It was a beautiful day for Emma's 5th birthday party!! She wanted a superhero party, which worked out very well. Most of the kiddos came dressed as their favorite superhero and they looked adorable. Emma was Supergirl and Dayna was Batgirl...so much fun! My husband is a comic book, superhero nut so we had a ton of decorations already on hand. The kids had a scavenger hunt, musical chairs (to the theme of Superman), and a Spiderman pinata. It was a blast!!

Welcome to Raganville!

Here is the official first post of mine into blogging world. I hope that I can figure all the technology out and that this is a fun place to visit! For my first post, I am going to keep it short and just say that girls just should not have their ears pierced until they have gone through a major experience in pain...just so that they know what to expect. My baby girl, age 5 this week, decided that she wanted her ears pierced for her birthday. The first one was a piece of cake...the second was WWIII. I finally resorted to bribery and brute force...just kidding! She relented after an hour of persuasion and she is just as happy as can be about the results! Her b-day party is tomorrow and I will be posting pics of that event as soon as I can!