Mountain Vacation

This past week, we have been on vacation in North Carolina. It was a much needed trip, and it was a very sweet time to visit with family. We met up at my grandparent's mountain house in North Carolina and got to spend the weekend with my Dad, my Grandparents, my Great-Grandmother Ruth, my Aunt Sherry and Uncle Steve, and my cousin Shelli and her husband Mike and 2 kids - Ellie and Graham. It was a great weekend full of memories!

At a local waterfall

The view from the mountain house...INCREDIBLE!

The leaves were so vibrant...reds, oranges, yellows...

It was pretty stunning!

Family picture with my Dad

Grandmother and Granddaddy Bruner and me

Aunt Sherry and Shelli

Mike and Shelli with Graham and Ellie...TOO cute!

Great-Grandmother Ruth with Brayden

It was very cool to have 5 generations

in the same house together!

We're praying for Grandmother Bruner

as she begins her next round of chemo this next month.

Sports Stud

The boys love going to local high school games together!

Brayden even got "PHS" painted on his face from the cheerleaders

at the Porter HS football game. He thought it was SO cool.

Playing baseball in the backyard...a natural, like his Daddy!

(and yes, Jonathan is trying to get him to practice as a lefty!)

*** I'll start posting pictures from our vacation to North Carolina next Monday.

Rockets Game

Date night with my hubby

at a Rockets vs. Cavs game...

Recent Custom Paintings

Lately, I've been creating a few new custom pieces for some family and friends. Here's a glimpse at some of my new pieces...

Colossians 1:10 for my niece Emsleigh's room (24x30")

4 piece collection for my niece Emsleigh's room

(4 - 12x12" canvases)

Romans 10:9-10 for our New Member room at church (2 - 24x36")

See more of my art at: My Facebook Album or My Etsy Store

My New Marker Board

For awhile, I've really been wanting a marker board for my kitchen. You know, to jot stuff down like...my endless "to-do" lists, weekly menus, etc. I am the type who searches and searches for the perfect thing for my home, so needless to say, it has taken me awhile. Finally, I decided just to make my own.

Realizing that glass makes a perfect dry-erase board, I found a big frame to use as my board. I found some patterned white fabric...to add dimension and texture...but so I can still read my writing (if my fabric was bright and full of pattern, I wouldn't be able to see the text as well).

I used the frame backing (cardboard) to wrap my fabric around. I pulled it tight around the edges and simply used masking tape to keep it from moving (any kind of adhesive would probably work fine). Then I put the backer into the frame and voila...my marker board! The frame even has a little ledge where my markers can sit! If your frame doesn't have a ledge, you can stick a piece of velcro on your marker and on the side of the frame. That way it is right there for you to use when you need it.

Road Trip to Round Top

What a day... The bi-annual famous Round Top weekend and I finally got together. It was bliss. From browsing through all the incredibly crafted pieces of furniture...to digging through to find a gem of a flea market find...to finding an old BINGO board that would look perfect on my shelf, it was a great day in Round Top! There were tons of amazing and old antiques, which reminded me of my Grandmother Bruner who had an antique store that I grew up around. That place was incredible. It was so full of incredible artists and collectors.

My friend, Whitney, and I made the trek to Round Top. It was a success! We both walked away with very cool reclaimed tables for our homes and some other goodies.

What can I say, I love the way this looks

with the paintbrushes displayed...

My table for our entry way!

Whit's table...rigged to the top of her car!

Our view on the way home...at least we could

tell if the table was still there or not!

Houston Children's Museum

Recently, it was FREE day at the museum. Yours truly was SUPER excited to get into the Children's Museum for FREE! Woohoo!!! I love (most) things that are free! So off we went...

He was excited...

They have a cool TOT spot for his age,

and boy, did he love the cars. They had radios,

horns, and much more that made noises.

Great for a 2-year-old.

Learning how to unlock the door.

See if you can figure this pic out...

It's not in a wall...

...It's a plexiglass floor.

"Look, I see Daddy!"

Driving the car...again.

A fun day at the museum. It seemed that everyone got the word on the FREE day...we'll have to go back again when it's a little less crowded. Overall, though, well worth it.

A Beautiful Day on the Lake

This past weekend, we went over to the Dewhirst's house to celebrate Sharpe's 2nd birthday. It was a beautiful day, and we had the chance to go out on their boat. It was a beautiful day on the lake! Brayden wasn't so sure what to think of the speeding boat, but he grew to love it. He especially loved it when a train crossed the bridge, and he got the conductor to blow the horn for him.

We "beat" the train in a race!

Paci Time

He loves his pacifier. We've gotten down to just using it at night, and to be honest, it is about time to get rid of it entirely. But for now...he loves it. He gets so excited when he finds one during the day and can sneak a minute or two with it before mom finds out. He also especially loves it when he finds multiple, and then he sees how many he can fit in his mouth...

Hilarious...

Brayden is constantly moving around when he sleeps. We have many moments of cracking up when we go into his room to check on him, only to find him in a crazy position while sleeping. Tonight would have to be on the top of the list. Seems like he's been dreaming of Kung Fu fighting!