The big 1.0

Here we were one year ago today.



And now here is our little Petunia on her first birthday.



How in the world has it been 365 days already? Before you know it, she'll be wanting to wear lip gloss and call boys on her cell phone. I won't think about that now. Instead I'll think about how cute she looked at her birthday lunch at Cheddar's.

The best thing about being a year old? She can sit facing forward in the car. That means that now she can watch videos while we travel just like her brother.

Not that he really needs a dvd player to entertain himself...



As long as he has two fingers and a nose, the boy will find ways to stay occupied.

I am not just a nitwit

I was so excited by my excursion into the realm of actually using my scrapping supplies rather than simply collecting them that I spent all of my free time today surfing the net looking for sites that are dedicated to card making. I will admit that yes, I have a tendency to be a wee bit obsessive. Shocking, isn't it?

On my blog hopping travels, I stumbled across the cuttlebug spot. This wonderful little slice of webdom offers weekly challenges and ideas for creating darling little stationery for all of one's greeting card needs. I have to be frank here: this website is giving chocolate a run for its calories when it comes to inciting massive Mellon endorphin release. I was so motivated that I decided that I would go ahead and attempt a creation for this week's challenge. I do so love that little thrill that is brought on by stretching one's crafting comfort zone. And hello bonus--the challenge is Christmas in July, so I'm totally annihilating procrastination now.

Here is what I made. Again, I used only odds and ends that have been gathering dust in the land of my misfit craft supplies. (I can be forgiven for another Rudolph reference since it is the theme of the post, right?)



Now will I muster enough creativity to make a handmade Christmas card for everyone on my list. Umm. No. You see my obsessions tend to ebb and flow, so by this time next week I'll no doubt be over the whole mess. Well over it until the next time I get an itch to cut and paste that is. Until then, you can just imagine me as a busy little elf in her card shop crafting away. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Slaying the Procrastinator in Me

Hello, my name is Laura, and I'm a procrastinator.

My normal preparation for attending a birthday party typically involves last minute gift wrapping followed by stopping at a store along the way to buy a card. If I do make a handmade card, it is thrown together in the fifteen minutes before the bus pulls out of the station. It isn't even enough to say that I put off today what can be done tomorrow. No, my motto has for sometime been: Why do tomorrow what I can put off indefinitely?

But tonight, I have made great strides toward killing that devilish beast in me that puts things off until the very final second. I made a birthday card for Amaya's friend Sophi, and her birthday isn't even until next week! It gets even better because I only used bits of paper left over from completed scrapbook projects to make it. Trash to treasure baby! But I didn't stop there. Nope. I made a second card for whosoever birthday comes next--again using only scraps destined for the landfill. I am not organized enough yet to know who that lucky soul may be, but I am feeling confident that he/she will appreciate my efforts immensely.

So, on that future party day when I'm frantically scrambling around looking for gift bags and bows, I won't have to bother fretting about the card because it will be sitting right there ready to go. Well,that is if I remember it's there. While I may have won the battle against sloth, getting a handle on my short term memory is an entirely different war.

Fresh off the Presses--ETA pictures of the actual car

My husband thinks he's big time now. And well, I guess he kind of is. Here's the press release and mock up of the car that Andy's sponsoring in the August 1 and August 15 NASCAR races. He'll be headed to Iowa to be treated like a rock star while the kids and I are at the lake lounging about like normal folk. But fear not dear readers, for I too will be sitting on the scaffolding above pit row in just a few short weeks. Better go order my NASCAR for Dummies book now.

Joe Gibbs Racing and Brad Coleman Hit the Spot

Market research advertising company turns to NASCAR sponsorship to build momentum

Charlotte, NC (July 24, 2009) – Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brad Coleman hit the sponsorship spot for online research recruitment giant BigSpot.com, a division of Offerwise, an Internet marketing company serving the market research industry.

The BigSpot.com brand will launch their first entry into the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Iowa Speedway and will continue as Coleman’s primary sponsor through the Michigan race and potentially beyond.

Andrew Lissak, President & CEO of Offerwise, said, “We have been looking for some time for the right opportunity to introduce our brand and services to the world of NASCAR. After seeing the confidence and poise Brad demonstrated before, during, and after last weekend’s top 5 finish at Gateway, we knew he was the driver we wanted representing BigSpot.com and Offerwise as we expand our reach in to the sport.”

Rob Dolafi, COO of Offerwise echoed Lissak's impressions of Coleman and added the pair grew up in the Washington D.C. area and have been lifelong fans of Coach Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing.

“We feel honored to have the opportunity to be partnered with a first class organization such as Joe Gibbs Racing and a part of an upcoming young stars’ rise to the top of the sport,” stated Dolafi. “NASCAR fans bring a level of unparalleled enthusiasm to the sport and we are confident they will bring that same enthusiasm in sharing their opinions with the world's top market research firms that BigSpot.com will connect them with”.

The No. 20 BigSpot.com Toyota will hit the track at Iowa Speedway on August 1st at the U.S. Cellular 250.

Perhaps she'll turn into a pumpkin next?

There's my smiley girl. Oh, but it appears that something is amiss. Do you see it? Why yes, she is missing her left shoe--AGAIN. This poor child has my feet, and thus she is always losing shoes. This penchant for leaving a trail of footwear in her wake would be why I call her Cinderella.

Hark! What's that I hear?
Why, it's Prince Charming returning the lady's slipper! Such a thoughtful royal, that boy.

Driving lessons

Taking little sister out for a spin.

Uh Oh, took out a tree stake.

Abandoning the vehicle for a more low tech model.

Hey! Where'd my chauffeur go?

Yes, this one is definitely easier to handle.

I think Daddy's the one that needs to be taking driving lessons around here. I hope he's got insurance on that thing!

Too cute to not share

He wasn't ready for the first picture...so he gave me an extra big "cheese" for the second.

Bottle Bugs & Bumper Babies

We've temporarily misplaced Chase's buggy hat, but I thought using Amaya as the model would be equally acceptable.


I thought if I put it on her head while she was downing her formula, she'd leave the hat on long enough for me to get a picture. I got just that...a picture. Of course, that one picture has the hat falling over her eyes, so it doesn't really count anyway. All of the other shots are in various stages of her prying the covering from her melon. I finally gave up and just took one of her bareheaded. Still cute.


In case you're having Chase withdrawal, here's a short video of the two of them going down the slide. Silly.

Birthday Blurbs

Cake table




Cupcakes Patricia & I made. I baked, she decorated. Pretty good deal--on my end at least.





Snack table. I loved the little bread stick snails. Oh and the veggies and dip in the shape of a tree. And the jar of licorice and critter crunch. I really just loved the whole table.

Watermelon bug filled with fruit salad. There's also a tomato caterpillar in the salad. I have a tendency to go overboard, or so I've been told.



Bug catching favors...




Favors all lined up with my hand made paper flag garland.
Kids' table


Outfitter's area where the little bugs made their safari hats. You can see Amaya's on the left there. These were so cute, but I didn't get a good picture of anyone wearing one. I'll try to snap a picture of Chase in his sometime this week.





Swatting bug bubbles and trying to catch them in the nets.








Make a wish!






Time for the bug hunt!








One last game--try to eat all of the ants (chocolate sprinkles) without using your hands. First one done wins!


Go Avery! She was the big winner!
Chase had such a good time, that he ended up just collapsing in the grass when it was all over! Yea for being three!

I'm really grateful for this handful of birthday pictures because 80% of the photos that were taken this day were a fuzzy, blurry mess. I deleted so many pictures where the entire shot looked like Andy's arm here:

Since nearly every cake picture had some kind of weird blur on it, I was originally going to chalk this up to user error. This was logical as Adam was taking those pictures, and well you just never know with Adam. But then I came across this frame that Andy shot:

This leads me to believe that there was something wrong with the camera settings the entire day. Unless the man really was trying to take a picture of those leaves. But then, you never know about Drew either. Next year, I'll hire a professional. David, can you check your calendar and get back to me? Moving on...

Chase's new ride...



Zoom Zoom...