This kid cracks me up.

Long day...

I am officially worn out! We were crazy busy at Smitten today...not that I'm complaining! We are SO blessed to have great customers, and we are being discovered by new people every day. A good bit of our traffic for the past few days has been due to Barnes and Noble selling out of Elf on the Shelf. They have been sending moms, grandmas, and even dads to Smitten for the cute little guy! We only have a few left, so if you haven't gotten one this year, come see us SOON!!

Tomorrow we are heading to Camden Elementary for our 4th annual "Christmas at Camden" project. I am so excited to see everybody, and I'm hoping that the kids will be surprised. Maybe since I'm not there anymore and they have a new principal, they've assumed it's not happening again this year...maybe. I'll post pictures (but it'll have to be from somewhere other than the barn, because I'm not patient enough to deal with the DSL!).

I'm off to take a long, hot bubble bath with the 3rd book in the Twilight series. By the way, I'm in love with a fictional vampire...*sigh*...be worried! And seeing the movie did not help matters-he's HOT!!! Is it crazy that I want to go see it again? Anybody want to go? :)

ok, so this time it's been MONTHS...

but things have been a little crazy! We opened the store in August, so it was kind of weird not going back to school like I have for the past 9 years. I think it's going to be even stranger not getting off in June and July, but I'll be ok! :) I have been crazy busy monogramming ALL kinds of stuff, but haven't taken the time to take pictures of any of it. Maybe I'll be better about doing that after Christmas! I am obsessed with finding cute new fonts and graphics, and I love to applique with cute fabrics.

I moved back to the barn in October, so I'm just about settled (except for my MILLIONS of books that are still boxed up!). Hopefully when things slow down in January I can get my "library" organized. Let me know if you need a book...maybe I'll even make my own little cards...no, just kidding! I love being back at the barn. I have the best view from the deck, and some days I rush home just to enjoy the sunset. It just feels like home to me and is the perfect size for one person. I don't know how Rebecca, Michael, and Anderson lasted here as long as they did! It's a good thing that they found a great house before baby 2 comes...which will be soon! I can't wait to meet the little one! (I still think that it's another girl, but I could be totally wrong!)

Anderson definitely has me wrapped around her little finger! She know that her "YaYa" would do anything for her (and always will)! Anytime she sees my phone she says "Dora" over and over until I turn Dora for her to watch. She loves the one with the ABCs and sings along with Dora and Boots repeatedly.

Well, I have several things to monogram, and I was going to leave some pics of Anderson but this slow DSL won't let me upload them right now. I'll have to try later...

I've been monogramming...

It's definitely been a learning experience! I have made many mistakes and have learned from all of them, hopefully. Most everything has turned out pretty cute, and I love the different fonts we've found!





































I have to laugh about this now, but it was very frustrating at the time! As it was sewing, I was thinking, "WOW, this is looking great! No pulling, no stretching, no looping! I did a really good job on this one." Yeah, then I took it off the machine and tried to take the hoop out...and realized that I had sewn the back to the front!!! UGHHH!!

Anderson's New Chair

Mimi ordered Anderson her own armchair from Pottery Barn. She and Monkey sit there and watch Dora. I made this my wallpaper on my phone, and when Anderson pushed the home button and saw it, she said, "ah ah ah"...which is her monkey sound. Then I asked her who it was, and she said "dada"...sorry Michael!

Get Ready to Shop!

Rebecca, Emily, and I are getting the last few things done while our build-out is being completed! Hopefully we will have our doors open in less than a month. We are working on a website, a blog, and our email list. If you would like to be on our mailing list, send your email address to smittengifts@gmail.com. I have spent the past week learning how to monogram and I've had so much fun downloading new graphics and fonts. Here's my latest project:

Dear Anderson...

PLEASE hurry up and get to Destin! It's a long trip (especially for a one-year-old!), so when you see this you'll know you're almost here:



We are going to have so much fun!!! Mimi and I went to Wal-Mart yesterday and got you this so we can play in the pool:



In case you forgot, this is what you'll see when we're hanging out on the balcony:




See you on Friday!
Love,
Aunt Lala

Anderson's 1st Birthday

I took so many pictures and couldn't decide which to post, so I just made a slide show.

Bubbles

Anderson and I got to hang out last Saturday night while Rebecca and Michael went to a wedding. I tried to take pictures of Anderson in her pool, but this was all I could get. Apparently The Barn is the next Chuck E Cheese.



I brought Anderson a bubble machine, and she had a blast...playing with the package!





Anderson was trying to figure the whole bubble thing out...and so were the deer.



We heard that Poppy needed some help with the grass, so Anderson decided to help one blade at a time.

March happenings...

John Parker turned 1!!! He's SO funny!




Anderson got a taste of chocolate chip cookie (then Rebecca took it away and she cried!) at Preston and Bethany's crawfish boil.



"You have a baby...in a bar." On our first night in Destin, the bartender at The Lucky Snapper made Anderson a special treat (a happy face made of whipped cream, cherries, and an orange slice), which she ate on the bar as we waited for a table.


Then the sugar kicked in and she danced on the bar!



She is a marathon shopper! We spent the whole afternoon in Seaside and she was such a trooper.

More Christmas pics...