This Week in Our Lives

Well, it appears I'm not as good about daily blogging...maybe I have more of a life now, maybe I'm just lazy:D  So, here's a recap of our past week:

We hit the beach!  And J and Little Angel were out in the water and a dolphin swam back and forth in front of them....only about 10 feet away---it was really cool!

Here's a photo from our first ever band rehearsal for the all-new Low Country Community Band.  This is a REALLY big deal!  I volunteered to be historian, as I feel I will be "growing old" with the band:D

We hit our little enclosed butterfly garden.  The butterflies have not "been born" yet, but there were a few black swallowtails.

While I've been busy creating bracelets for orders/requests or seeing the "The Hunger Games," J and Fairy girl were hard at work creating a garden plot, and planting tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, cucumber, basil, oh...and a Meyer Lemon Tree, as seen in our Jim Beam Whisky Barrel (I'm VERY excited for this one!)

And Little Miss Angel has literally started cooking and baking on her own, with very little supervision (we haven't let her handle a knife yet though; but she is managing the oven!)

And no blog entry would ever be complete without a brief appearance from Piper the Fluffy Poo!

Still Alive and Kicking!

My blog has been seriously neglected his year.  Heck, my cameras have been seriously neglected this year!  I just thought I'd do a little recap, and post some more photos from the last time I took some photos, which was, ahem, January 30th---Little Angel's 8th birthday.

After the New Year, we headed down to Florida, to celebrate Christmas with the grandparents.  Last year my parents gifted us passes to Magic Kingdom.  This year they gifted us annual fun passes to Sea World, we've been there twice this year already (two trips in January).

J was "liberated" of employment just before Christmas---I know most people wouldn't get this, but it was a HUGE blessing (though we are eternally grateful to his former company for relocating us down to Paradise!)!  Life's been so wonderful having him home (they were working him into the ground, it was really dragging us down as a family).  He's really taken this time to just relax, unwind, recover, and just be.  Work has been crazy for him since we were married.  Now he's taking the opportunity to possibly switch careers---he's looking into renewable energy...but in the meantime, he's enjoying his vacation:)  Of course we'll have to have an income again someday, but for now, he really needed this break.

So, we had a wonderful "post" Christmas with Grandparents---we went to this cool restaurant in Dade City, sort of the half way point between J's parents and mine.  The next day we hit Sea World!

Then we headed back down to Florida three weks later, for the January Birthdays.  We had another Sea World adventure, Little Miss Angel got her ears pierced, and J and I had an incredible overnight get-away to Cedar Cove, on the gulf.  Our room was literally OVER the gulf.  We had such a wonderful time, and it's an adorable quaint town!  

      Other News on the homefront, I finally bit the bullet and joined the Savannah Winds!  and then, after two rehearsals, I quit--forever!  The group is phenomenal!  But I just don't have THAT much time to practice at home for this group.  They are THAT good, and I'm not a total musical wimp.  BUT then, TWO musical opportunities popped up for me!  woo hoo!  One, was to join a concert band/pit group, that accompanies a 100 piece show choir.  These are mostly retirees:D  And I would be paid $100 a gig!  I may do this someday, but not right now;  why?  they rehearse Saturday mornings, and I'm assuming someday, my hubby may decide to work again, in which Saturdays would be our boating/ biking/ beaching/ hiking/ kayaking day (you know, the whole reason why we moved here!).  But no worries, a brand new community band really formed down here, right in my own town...I could not believe it really happened---we already have 50 musicians and a talented band director...we are affiliated with a returning adult program with the University of SC...we have support!  we have musicians!  we have a place to practice!  we don't have anything else:D  they are even asking if band members would consider purchasing/donating music (next year we will qualify for a grant to help with this).  Our first performance will be Memorial Day!  This really makes me do the Happy Dance (in case you didn't catch how much I have missed band:)

Other news, the girls start piano lessons tomorrow!!  They still have choir on Tuesdays.  I'm making and selling bracelets!  J unpacked the the last four boxes, today, the only ones he was responsible for (after 13 months here:O) And lots more exciting goings-on.........

Life is quite good!

  

I Guess I Have Myself a Little Bracelet Business Now:)

When I made my first bracelet, about 1.5 weeks ago, I had NO idea that they would become such a hot ticket item where people would start asking me to make them bracelets...I've even had people on the street stop me.   In 1.5 week's time frame, I have sold 16 bracelets, I have several people about to order, and I have a craft shop in Waco, TX called Butter flies, which plans on purchasing my bracelets for resale on their end, on a regular basis.  I haven't even had time to build up inventory, they sell as soon as I make them!  So, my friend in TX (the co-owner of the shop, soon to open a second location) made some suggestions (she's got a strong marketing background), asking me to come up with a little background on the bracelets and attach business size cards to the bracelets, as well as a bigger version for their display.  They even plan on featuring my bracelets, separate from their other jewelry!  And, she had me rush ship the six I had so they'd arrive on time for a TX cook off this weekend:)  Since she suggested I come up with a background type of card, my hubby and I decided to take it a step further and just make inspirational business cards we could attach (the focus is on the meaning of the bracelets though).  And this is what I came up with:

 I've decided to call our little bracelet business, Dragonfly Inspirations.  Unfortunately, after I created/ordered the cards (you know, yesterday morning:) my husband also suggested I create a blog (not going the website route yet; may finish creating my weebly site later though:), to showcase the bracelets I've created.  The unfortunate part is that blog website address is not printed on the first batch of cards, but no worries, I can just handwrite it on the back.  So, for anybody who may be interested, please visit Dragonfly Inspiration Bracelets, and enter in your email address (I won't see it) to follow by email.  Feel free to share with your friends.  There's an email address listed on there for anybody who may be interested in ordering a bracelet.

**added note: we decided to have the blog address printed on sticker style address labels, which also has a photo of the dragonfly on it, and then stick these on the back of the cards for a more polished look!

hee hee:D

Peanutbutter Cake Bars (because peanut butter and chocolate combined, is THE BOMB!)

Peanut Butter Cake Bars

These cake-like bars are packed with peanut butter and chocolate chips, and are perfect for any occasion. Kids and adults alike are in for a treat with these gems. Charlotte Ennis - Lake Arthur, New Mexico

24 ServingsPrep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package (11-1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown
• sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt;
• gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
• 
  
• Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for
• 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes
• out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 2 dozen.
• 
  

Nutrition Facts: 1 bar equals 277 calories, 14 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 52 mg cholesterol, 178 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.

© Taste of Home 2011