Drumb Roll Please

And the winner is Amanda Thompson. Congratulations Amanda! We hope you love your apron and whether you keep if for yourself or give it away, we hope it sees many a party, dinner, and just plain wear around the house. Enjoy!

Birthdays, Baptism and Teeth

Charlotte and her daddy before we left for church - how sweet


Charlotte with our paster, Jim Moon


Charlotte with the Moore family - my side - my mother father and one of my sisters, Emily


The English family, Andy, us, Doug's parents, Meg and Kate


Doug's grandparents and Charlotte's Great Grandparents. Charlotte shared her baptism day with her Great Grandma's birthday.

In a child's life things seem to happen all at once. We had a busy weekend with all the family in. Charlotte's Great Grandma turned 80 Sunday and we had a big family celebration Saturday evening. My folks also came in Saturday for Charlotte's baptism.

It was a beautiful day and a special time for her father and I as we both made vows to bring her up in our Christian faith. It was also special for the spiritual meaning. Christ died for Charlotte's sins. She is already a part of His covenant and we pray that one day she accepts Christ as her savior.

Charlotte looked beautiful in her Christening gown. It was very sentimental. It is the same gown that all my sisters and myself wore when we were baptized. The bonnet (which I am not sure is shown here) was a gift from her Aunt Emily from her trip abroad. Some poor lady in Belgium made the bonnet by hand.

On top of all the festivities we found that Charlotte had two little teeth poking up. We couldn't believe it.

Last evening after all the company had gone and our little one was tucked away in her bed Doug and I pulled out the videos we have taken of her over the last five months. I am already amazed at how much she has grown and how the time has flown.

Life is measured so much of the time by milestones. Birthdays, baptisms and teeth. From five months to 80 years of age, this weekend was marked with special life milestones and wonderful memories. :)

Apron Giveaway

In honor of Mother's Day I am giving away an apron. Head on over to www.alisaprons.etsy.com to enter. You will see the listing there with all the details. The winner will be announced right here on April 30th! Have fun and good luck!

A Break from Aprons

Finally a weekend devoted to more than sewing aprons. I had a light week this week with orders and I should have beefed up my inventory but I decided to do something for my little one. The other day I got to thinking, "What if Charlotte is my only daughter?" This made me realize that I better do some things for her that I want to because I may not have another chance - or the time - when the next one comes along.

I found this swiss dot/eyelet fabric while rumaging around at Joann's - where I am on a first name basis with the general manager. I thought it was pretty and decided to make Miss Charlotte and little outfit. The top is a pinafore that I can mix and match and hopefully she will be able to wear all summer. The pants will go with so many things. If she continues to grow taller many of her little dresses are getting too short but she is thin enough to wear some of them as blousy tops. These pants should go nicely.

So... finally, Charlotte and myself got to benefit from all my new sewing skills. It was so nice to relax and work on something different for a change. :)

Kissing Cousins - Sort of

Charlotte got to see her cousin Adeline while we were at my mother's house this weekend. This video doesn't quite capture it, but Charlotte was crazy about little Addy. She squealed and laughed and every time we put them in front of each other she went crazy. They both have changed so much. Adeline is much more alert and vocal but she couldn't get much in for all the talking Charlotte was doing. They were so cute! It is fun to have a cousin so close to her age. I can't wait to see how they get along when they are older. :)

Bathing Beauty

While at my mother's this week for Doug's Spring Break we had to have some fun out by the pool. Charlotte is still young to wear sunscreen so we pulled a little pool under the shade of the patio and tried it out. She looked so cute in her little one piece bathing suit and sun bonnet. She wasn't quite sure about the water though. We will have to cure her of that since both her dad and I love the water. Enjoy the photos!

Growing Up Is Hard To Do

Well, this is our third day of cereal and Miss Charlotte really likes it. We tried to wait until she was 6 months to start, but she has been wanting more than just her bottle. I started noticing her watch me eat and she was fascinated with a spoon, so... we started "solids." She has taken to it very well and opens her mouth and wiggles her arms in delight. She is just messy as you can see. I can't believe we are already a few days away from her 5 month birthday. Boy does time fly by. :)

Thankful for the Chicken House!

There are many things I am thankful for, but I decided today that I would blog about something that sometimes is hard for me to express gratitude over - work. Yes, I live yet another life outside of mom, wife and apron maker - I am a marketing director for Chick-fil-A. This job is very flexible and I get to be at home or take little Charlotte with me. Every once in a while I have to pay a babysitter, but most days I don't.

In this photo you see me with my friend Stephanie - Micah's mother. She is one of my best friends here and she is also the one who got me this job. We are both at our Re-Grand Opening ribbon cutting where, for once, neither one of has our children with us (rare occasion). So, thanks Stephanie, for talking Mike (our boss) into hiring me. :)

I work anywhere from 15 to 30 hours a week. Some weeks are tougher than others, and it is definitely never easy to cart my 4 1/2 month around... but, I am happy I able to be with her. This is what this job affords me, a little cash to help pay bills, a way to continue to hone my marketing skills, free Chick-fil-A (which is wonderful), and a way to still stay home with my baby (which is the best of all). So... thanks to the Chicken House for helping to provide time with my family and money for my bills. :)