Choctoberfest

Chocolate is the key to a girls heart!!! Andrea had us over for a chocolate party that was "to die for". Who knew that so much chocolate would be hard to eat. I made the cupcakes and everything else was delicious as well. Thank you Andrea, you are a divine host!!!

Kathy Womack Gallery

I adore Kathy Womack's work! She has a gallery downtown that is Gorgeous. One of the Women and Wine series is on my Christmas wish list this year!!!

Real Simple's TV premiere

Real Simple, my favorite magazine is coming to TLC October 17th. I am so excited!

Stepping Outside the Box

A couple of weeks ago, I gave a speech to about 50 women at Full Circle, which is a womens outreach ministry program. The title was, Start Living Simple...It's Easier Than you Think! I had never done anything like this before and it was a challenge for me. I loved it and thought that it went very well. I had quite a bit of positive feedback and would love to possibly speak to other groups on organizing and living simple.

Tucker's 9 month photos

Tanya took Tucker's 9 month pictures a couple of weeks ago. They were taken at the Capital on a beautiful Saturday morning! Check out the slide show! Enjoy!!!

Makes me Smile!

6 Years

Ty makes my world perfect! He turned 6 on September 12th and he is the smartest most beautiful boy. We are so Blessed. Happy Birthday Buddy!

Bath Time

Tonight Kris gave Tucker a bath in the kitchen sink. He loves it and it is so easy. Let's just hope Daddy got the sweet potatoes off his mouth and nose!

Labor Day with My Family

A couple of weekends ago we went to my grandfathers house in Mabank which is outside of Tyler. We had a fantastic time. My whole family on my dad's side was there except for 1 of my cousins and my uncle from Wyoming. We are a very small, close family and it was great being together. My grandfather is 87 and has not been feeling well. We all wanted to go and visit him. He had not met Tucker so it was great for them to be together.

Work in Progress

I am not sure what I am going to do with this pretty. It will be a gift for someone. Wait and see!

Sneak Peek

Just a little peak of a Christmas gift I am making for someone special!

A Little Punch!

I have been wanting to do something colorful in my powder room for a while. One of my favorite designers, Anna Maria Horner, has a new line of fabric out that is gorgeous. It is exactly what I was looking for. I love the bright, vibrant colors and wanted to use just about every fabric in the collection. I decided to buy different size embroidery hoops which is very economical. I then took the fabric and stretched it onto the hoop. I also added vintage buttons to a few of them. I love the way it turned out and I am so happy with how it looks in the bathroom.

Fishy-Fish

Ty has a fish named Fishy-Fish. Tonight I was cleaning his vase and thought it would be fun to try something new. I used one of my candle vases. I am going to try to start putting him in a different vase each time I clean his container. It is fun looking at him and seeing him in a different home.

Exciting First Day!

Ty had a great day at school. When I picked him up and asked how his day was he said, "completely awesome". His favorite part of the day was gym because he got to do pushups! Too Funny! I was so proud of him and glad that he had a great day! I will be adding more pics later.

"Ty Day" with Auntie Amy

Ty had "Ty Day" with Auntie Amy on Thursday! They went to a dolphin and whale 3D IMAX, Burger King (Gross! He is for sure spoiled because he knows that I won't go there and neither will Amy. He must have really done some "sweet talking") and to Cafe Monet to paint some pottery. I love that he has such a special relationship with her. He will have that forever!

To Cute!

I adore these vintage enamel pins from the 40's and 50's. Their color is very vibrant and cheery! I find them at flea markets and antique shops. I am going to put a magnet on the back and put them in my fridge. So sweet and easy. The two turquoise ones are actually a pair of clip on earrings!

So Fast!

On Thursday evening we went to Ty's new school (Rooster Springs Elementary) for "Meet the Teacher" night. I have been quite reluctant and a little sad because he is my baby and he is growing up so quickly. He has attended private school in the past and I have loved the atmosphere, size of the classes, etc. I must admit that being a teacher myself has made me quite picky, especially with my little one. I have tried to shelter him for the most part in the past but, I realize now that it is time for my little one to "grow up" if you would, and start learning things on his own. I can't protect him from everything and Kris and I feel that it is our responsibility to let him experience and learn things on his own. We feel that this and our guidance is what will help mold him into a smart, responsible boy! Ok, enough of me being totally sappy. Here are some great pics of him at "Meet the Teacher."

Ty sitting at his desk.

Ty's teacher, Mrs. Webb

Easy to See

I love working with containers. It does not matter what type you use. Anything will work for your project as long as it is the right size and you can put a label on it. I love working with clear plastic containers. There are so many different options to choose from and you can use them for so many different things. I like that you can easily see what is in them. You don't have to spend a lot when purchasing clear containers.

Touch It Once!

Organizing is one of my passions. I started my own business, Start Living Simple, a couple of years ago and love it. I have taken some time off since Tucker has been here but, I have started working again the last couple of weeks. I am going to start posting before and after pictures of some of my organizing projects. These are all pictures of either past or current clients.

For this particular client, I organized just about every room in her house. These photos are of her small, home office. She had everything crammed onto her built-in desk in the kitchen. All it took to get it organized was tossing the papers she did not need and finding a home for all of the other papers. (bills, kids schedules, phone numbers, etc...) We also came up with a plan for how she can keep everything organized on a daily basis. Now that she has a plan it is easy to keep it up and she only has to touch her papers ONCE!

Before:

After:

Fun in the Sun!!!

We had such a fun time in Port Aransas this week! We got back yesterday and I already miss being in the sun. We went with our good friends Angie and Jason and their 3 sweet little ones!



Tucker's first trip on the ferry!






Three of the kiddos playing on the floor in our house!





Tucker and Jaxon taking a fun bath together!





Merrill with 3 of the kids on the ferry! We LOVE Merrill because she comes with us to keep the kids and help out so we can go out at night and have a nice dinner and DANCE! She is also such a sweetie!



Ty jumping off the high dive at the community pool in Aransas Pass!





Thumbs Up on the diving board!






Alec and Ty on the ferry! I was polishing Isa's nails and Ty wanted a tattoo. I gave him a surfboard tattoo with finger nail polish! Hope it comes off!



Ty in his undies flashing the peace sign. He is for sure my kid. The least amount of clothes the better! Especially in this heat!