Bella Pink Cafe

Mother's Day Tea in Room 1H...

     The mommies of first graders were invited to a Mother's Day Tea on Friday.  This is the 6th annual tea party and I remembered this special event when I went 5 years ago when my son was 6...this time I was smart and brought tissues!  For the mom's who didn't know what to expect, they were in for a real treat.  It started out as we entered the classroom, we were greeted by our child and escorted to our perfectly set seat.  There was a handmade placemat topped with a beautiful card.  Then each child went in front of the class and read into a microphone (no pressure!) what was special about their mommy.  Apparently I'm the best chocolate chip cookie maker in the classroom and my daughter loves when I say "Muffin, it's time for bed"!  Some of the things the children read were funny, like one little boy said "My mom makes the best grilled cheese, but sometimes she burns the edges" some were sweet like "My mom has the prettiest eyes and sparkliest jewelry ever!" 

     We were then served delicious treats and iced tea by our fabulous little hostesses and then serenaded by a song "You are my sunshine".

     I hope you all have a fabulous Mother's Day and know that you are someone's "sunshine"!~ xo

Making a list...

     The kids use these erasable plates to make their list and put under the tree.  I am still de-coding my daughter's list, but it's something like this:  "Socks,  Pogo Stick and a Puppy for my brother"    Cute?  Santa can manage the socks and Pogo stick.  We have to talk some more about the puppy , explaining to her that "Santa doesn't bring real animals"  Not sure if she is buying it. I'm still holding on to these years when she still believes in Santa.  Our son, who is 10, has known the "real story" of Santa for about 2 years now.  He is good at pretending for his baby sister!  Chiming in "I hope Santa can make it to the video game store this year" with a sheepish grin.  Christmas is so magical when the kids believe, don't you think?

Imagination...

     I went inside to grab a scarf and heard so many voices coming from the necessary patio I thought that some of the neighborhood kids had magically appeared as they usually do.  I peeked out my office window to find that it was just our girl, alone, playing school, reading a book to the "class" walking around and taking questions from her imaginary students.  It was a moment where I usually tell my Mom the story, after the fact, over the phone and she always shouts "why didn't you take a picture?"  So this time, camera in hand, I snapped a shot of the "classroom" and the fabulous teacher at work.  The only thing missing were her legendary high heels

Hannah meets a bank robber...

     Interesting title?  The picture above has nothing to do with it, but the kids have officially picked their Halloween costumes yesterday...our girl will be Hannah Montana (along with half the girls in her class!) and little man picked out a creepy mask that makes him look like a bank robber, so that is the title he gave his costume.  His mask has an eyeball poking out, and he came up with a story on the ride home that the security guard at the bank he was robbing poked out his eye while he was running out with the cash.  What can I say?  He's 10.  He has a wild imagination, no football player get up or an ordinary bum costume will do for him.  At Halloween, for him, it's all about gore, gruesome, scary, but most of all *fun*.

     Busy weekend, so first up...thank you to Dawn at The Feathered Nest for giving a sneak peek on her blog of Romantic Homes December issue and my Holiday Blogging column!  Looks like it's a really pretty issue.  Some of our blogger friends have exciting news to report (I can't reveal, but hopefuly they will on their own blogs soon!)  Ms. Babette ( aka Barbara Jacksier) is in California working on her mystery project (better known as the TMP).  Ladies... this is an exciting project and you will LOVE IT!  She has her new laptop with her and able to blog "live from the scene" 

    Exciting things happening around here too at Casa Bella..but can't share just yet...I hate teasers, but please bare with me...let's just say I am humbled and honored and you will soon know why! I took a break from work and we managed to squeeze in TWO trips to the flea market this weekend. YAY!  Lots of new goodies will be posted in the boutique this week, probably on Tuesday.  Love the thrill of finding a great vintage piece and knowing it will go to a good home, my customers are the best and we found a lot of beauties this weekend.

    Also helped my Mom pack for her early morning flight for a golf tournament that she is playing in (Mom is an avid golfer and once played with Michael Douglas!- great story for another post).  She will be gone an entire week with her friends in Myrtle Beach.  Did I mention that my Dad had a full knee replacement 3 weeks ago?  He has lost almost 30 pounds!  Good grief! My sister and I are in charge of his 'care' while Mom is away...first order of business is fattening him up.  He has made tremendous progress with his recovery and is now walking with a cane, so Mom doesn't feel too guilty leaving him for a week (Although, I think she considers this more of a vacation from being his nurse!)  Poor Dad, he is having cravings like a pregnant woman...all he wants is chocolate raisins and sherbet.  He's completely lost his appetite, so it will take us a while to get that weight back on.  Any suggestions are appreciated...I'm thinking milkshakes and McDonalds?, but I know that is NOT healthy! lol...Mom wanted me to say a big "HELLO" to the bloggers in South Carolina, she is coming to town with her golf mafia!

Summer Scraps

     Time to get out the "crazy" scissors (as the kids call them) and the glue sticks for a back to school scrapbook project.  The Assignment?... make a scrapbook on your Summer memories and bring the first day of school (which is Tuesday 9/4) .  Easy peasy!  Little man had such a busy Summer, it was great looking back on our days in the sun in pictures...while doing the project there was a lot of "oh Mom! remember this picture when I almost fell off my bike?" or "remember when this wave crashed and knocked me over right after you took the picture?"  Little man had full control of his scrapbook project, even sat at the computer and picked every picture he wanted to include, I was just his assistant this day.  Time to get back to the hustle and bustle of the school year, I think I am ready, not sure if the kids are....their hearts are still on those rides at the boardwalk and catching waves in the ocean....lazy days at the swim club with friends...hmm...come to think of it,  my heart is still there too, but Fall will creep up on us before you know it and they will long forget this and move on to the excitement of Halloween and being back to school with friends.  We can always pull out the Summer scrapbook and the memories will flood back like those crashing waves.  Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!~ xo

The Wild Wild West...

     This was so much fun, playing dress up on the boardwalk.  A trip to the beach wouldn't be complete without a stop at The Lucky Lady Saloon.  The boys wanted to be "gangsters" and us girls wanted to be barmaids.  So this is how we would look way back when, in the wild west?  I definitely don't think I would be wearing an ankle bracelet, and my girl wouldn't be holding a cigarette!  The guys holding guns....maybe?  I think superman looks too comfortable holding that big cannon.  Anyway it was a hoot.

     Today I am trying to catch up on shipping the orders placed while we were away.  Oh my goodness, I've never been so far behind, I WILL get it done if I have to stay up all night.  Thank you to my awesome customers who are always so gracious.   

     Working on some FUN photo shoots for my new product line, need to gather up my "models" and take advantage of these bright sunny days that give just the right lighting.  Congratulations to my friend Heather Bullard in the Grand Opening of her gorgeous boutique The Present Past  Also congratulations to my dear friend Chris at Tutti Chic on her little secret project, I know yesterday wore you out but it will be worth it my dear! xo

Under The Boardwalk...

     "....down by the sea, on a blanket with my baby is where I'll be..."  We are packing up and headed out for a much needed vacation to the beach.  Seven days.  Can't wait to put my toes in the sand, stroll the boardwalk, watch the kids splash and surf in the water and feel the sun on my face.  Funnel cake, salt water taffy's, bike riding, reading books on the beach....Maybe even superman and I will get to spend some relaxing and quality time together, things have been so hectic lately we barely have a chance to say hello!  I was going to put together a Friday fab favorite mosaic beach theme, but I think the picture below sums it up perfectly...the ocean is calling us.  "Ciao" for now..see you when we get back, xo

   

All Tuckered Out

    Just coming off a busy weekend and headed for even busier weeks ahead.  This Friday we have another performance from our little girl and her Summer dance troop and our son is in the junior golf tournament over at our golf club the same day, that should be fun juggling the two events!  Also, my brother's wedding is coming up fast too!  7-27 to be exact, it will be loads of fun for sure and I have so many things to do yet!  When that is over, we can rest a bit with a much needed vacation to the beach...and possibly squeeze in a quick trip to New York City after that.

     The boys came back (in one piece) with lots of tales from their camping trip.  My son jumped in the shower and took a snooze as soon as his head hit the pillow.  I'm still washing the dirty clothes, praying my washer survives!

     Us girls had a fabulous weekend of shopping, dinners, staying up late watching movies, and celebrating my niece getting her official drivers license (she only had her permit before) and the test was on Friday the 13th no less!  Here she is all proud showing it off.  Notice the Wriskey™ keychain? lol  Now she has freedom in her little convertible, driving around town picking up her friends.  Wait till she has to fill up her gas tank...that will change REAL quick!

It also was our job to take care of "daddy's plants & garden" while he was camping...I think we did a good job!

Here is a shot of  a small portion of the back patio with a glimpse of the carriage house to the left (or glorified extra garage!)  The 2nd floor is finished into office space, 1st floor is the workshop.

 

  Checking on her brother's  "froggies" in the waterfall !

 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

     This afternoon was the first start of our "girls" weekend (just me and my little girl)  Since the boys are away, the girls will play!  We stopped at the pool at our country club for a dip, then off to shop for some beach wear for our upcoming vacation.  Had to get this hat for the beach, the GAP is a sure thing for some great sales!  Little girl got herself a pair of funky glasses and a Vera Bradley case for them.  She was wearing the glasses while we were out tonight in the dark.  I think she may sleep in them!  Can you believe my little rock star took the pictures of me with my new beach hat below?  I think we may have a photographer in training here!

It's Show Time!

     Recital day...so exciting...hair and makeup, tap shoes ready to perform!  Check out that purple! We celebrated after the show with our in-laws, nieces, etc..at a Japanese restaurant--so cool, they made the food right in front of us and did all kinds of tricks, they even threw food in the air to see if we could catch it in our mouths using no hands.  The kids were loving it!  It was a great time and we had a lot of laughs!  Hope you all enjoyed a Happy Father's Day, I know we did!

On The Edge of Seventeen...

      Just like the song Stevie Nicks sings... "Edge of Seventeen"... so is my beautiful niece (and Goddaughter) Brooke on the verge of, turning 17 in October.  Here she is practicing her driving skills in her little white VW convertible.  Funny story when I took this picture, she forgot to turn the car on and it was in neutral, she was just coasting backwards and she was yelling (in the most dramatic way that only a 16 year old could do), "Oh my God, there's something totally wrong with my car!"  We yelled back, "the engine isn't on Ding Dong!"  The only girl granddaughter born (until my girl came along 10 years later)  There were all boys before her.  She was the most beautiful baby, you know the kind...with the chubby little baby fat, the tannest olive skin and the most gorgeous green eyes and wild long brown locks with little highlights kissed from the sun.  One of those babies on the beach that always has a better tan than you!

     She wants to go to college in California.  No wait, maybe Florida or New York.  She wants to be an entertainment lawyer.  No wait, I forgot, today it's a singer.  So full of promise, future wide ahead...so young and beautiful on the Edge of Seventeen

Six Years Went So Fast...

      I remember the day she was born, it was a warm and sunny day, the perfect day to have a baby.  I wrote an article about it, (read here) I remember my water breaking , being in labor and staying home as long as I could hold out, my mother with a pen and paper writing down each contraction.I still have it in the baby book...it stops at 7:00pm.  That's when we left for the hospital.  When we got there, I was already 7 centimeters and SO ready for that epidural!  After some quick pushing, the next thing I know, I'm holding a little bundle with a pink hat.  Her pretty blue eyes looking at me and this wild pitch black hair that looked like a rooster.  My girl, my baby...turning 6 years old.  I can't believe where the time went...Here she is today in her glory with a fun party with her friends, so much excitement and energy, it was fun to watch them have a blast.

Before we left for the party, a moment in the sun with my baby girl...

Silliness before the guests arrive

BFF's Forever!

Getting "Popcorned' By The Gang...

Happy 6th Birthday Big Girl!

He Cleans Up Nice!

     I am used to seeing my 10 year old all muddy from riding his quad or dirty from an intense game of basketball with the neighborhood kids...well here he is all shiny and spiffed up for his Violin concert!  Yep....I said violin concert!...this from a kid who loves sports, being outside, exploring in the woods, finding frogs in our waterfall..etc.. He really wanted to play violin with his school's orchestra this year .  However, he has other motives. ...you see...in order to play guitar or drums at the school, you must take one year of violin!  So he has the year under his belt and now is free to play the drums next year...oy! the noise!  I was just getting used to the sounds of the squeaky violin

Little Fingers Craft

Little ones making things...so inspiring!  We got out the colored pencils, stamps and tags.  She loves to create, which makes me happy, couldn't help but to snap these shots.  Speaking of snapping...my big black digital camera is on it's way to my dear friend  and we're making room for a big bad boy SLR!  Not sure if I should go Canon or Nikon?...I'll have to play a bit in the store.

Scrap Time!

I have been getting the itch to digi scrap...there are some great layouts and I am still learning. Love the quick page sets at Scrapbook Graphics

Got Mud?

We had a day of 75 degrees here in Pennsylvania this week, which meant a slushy muddy mess in our backyard.  My son was exploring in the woods on our property and came home to me like this...

and here is a Leprechaun Trap our daughter made for St. Paddy's Day.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Waiting in heels...

I caught my daughter yesterday, dressed up in my mother's high heels (very ugly I might add!) Standing outside the house with an umbrella (it wasn't raining!) waiting for her big brother to get home from school.  What a site for the neighbors!  I decided to make a quick digi scrap from Shabby Miss Jenn 

"I Can At Mom-Mom's"

My daughter spent the day with my parents yesterday...all rules go out the window when she is there.  She is "Queen for the Day" and treated like royalty, painted nails,toes and all.  Don't you wish there was a place us grown up's could go to, be waited on hand and foot, never hear the word "no", have people hang on our every word and think we are the funniest and greatest human beings on the planet?!!  I guess there is always the spa, but you have to pay for that!

Some things my daughter has said as to why she loves to go to "Mom-Mom & Pop Pop's house":

   

digi scraps from Shabby Miss Jenn

My Funny Valentine

No Scissors or Glue Required!

Here is the latest Valentine kit I made of my daughter Natalie.  The kit is one of the many awesome designs by KristyAnn at www.mydigitalmuse.com  Have you seen this site!? It's incredible and they are so talented...super nice people.  I am so new to the digital scrapbooking world, but getting SO addicted!  The best part....No scissors or glue required!

TWO REASONS!

These are the bambinos, they keep me going (and wear me out at the same time) they are hard to keep up with and have more of a social life than my hubby and I! Our son who just turned 10 is an avid golfer (and really good, I must say so myself) He also plays basketball. Our daughter is our little dancer and on the pee wee cheerleading squad (which I am the coach!- don't ask! LOL!)

Digi scraps by www.mydigitalmuse.com  Cute or what?