wake up slow ...

Except, we are out of creamer this morning! I have been loving my cup or two of coffee in the morning. But when the husband is home on the weekend, that darn creamer seems to disappear. Quickly! I guess we both enjoy our cups of coffee :)

reading ...

Kylie loves reading her books to anyone who will listen ... And she makes sure to point at everything on the page, while looking up at you, just to see if you are really paying attention! I love that she loves books. I hope it is something that she continues to enjoy throughout life. I am not a reader ... Wish I was.

for the month of july ...

Go shop at www.cristinaashleydesign.etsy.com!
{make sure to make a note that you saw this on my blog}.

contest ...

I get Parents Magazine in the mail each month. I love it ... The inspiration I get thumbing through each page. I enjoy the crafty kid's projects (although we aren't quite there yet), the creative recipes for kids' snacks, helpful tips for us Moms, etc. I created a file of all the tear-outs that I have gathered over the months. It's fun to go through them every once in a while to get inspired all over again!

My point in sharing this with you is that in one of my quiet afternoons of thumbing through my Parents magazine, I came across a contest ... THE contest. Kylie could be on the cover of the November 2009 issue!!! We submitted our photos yesterday and we are excited to see if we make it to the next round. We are not counting on anything, but it's fun to have something to look forward to. Something silly to be hopeful for :)

So ... Here is a small handful of the photos I took to submit to the magazine.

what it takes ...

To get good pictures of a 15 month old baby:

Not letting the 90* afternoon get the best of you
Food ... Lots and lots of food!
Her favorite baby doll
Allowing her to crawl around on dirty pavement and scuffing her knees up
Being an absolute nerd to get even one little smile
Not getting discouraged by the tears ... Keep trying new things

* I am working on a project that is due tomorrow! I procrastinated ... Something I am quite good at! I will share some of the pictures, along with the reason why I took on this absurd thing in the first place, tomorrow :)

father's day ...

Today, I am reminded of how thankful I am to have such wonderful fathers and a great husband. I hope all the fathers in your life felt loved and appreciated today.

We had a wonderful weekend together (my husband, myself and my daughter). Unfortunately, we don't liver near our Dads so we made the most of the weekend we had together as our "little" family.

I am so thankful for my husband and the love he has for our daughter. He is the best at getting smiles, giggles and kisses from her. He just has a way with her ... it is so fun to see.

*Kylie and I love you, Brian*

summer sale ...

To celebrate the first day of Summer, which is June 20th, we will be having a sale this Saturday and Sunday! Enjoy 10% off all orders placed those 2 days. E-mail me your order requests (cristinaashleydesigns@gmail.com) and I will send an invoice to your email inbox. There have been lots of new designs added over the past couple months, so if you haven't seen them yet, bet sure to go check them out:

www.cristinaashleydesign.etsy.com

Happy shopping!

(hint, hint ... have any overdue graduation gifts to buy, weddings coming up this summer, baby showers or wedding showers? personalized jewelry makes a great gift for any of these occasions!)

renovation ...

I am in the process of renovating my blog ... sorry for all the changes during the process! Sale coming soon :) Check back for more details within the next couple days!

I will leave you with a few pictures from our weekend at the park with family ...

get creative ...

I had a customer order this "diaper bag tag", but turned it into a Father's Day gift (key chain) by simply changing the text stamped on the tag. So simple, but such a sweet gift for Dad ... a nice reminder throughout the day of how much his little kiddos love him! Father's Day is June 21st. Order by next Thursday (June 18th) to receive it by THE big day!
Ideas for wording:
1) We Love You Daddy
with kid's names
2) Happy Fathers Day
with kid's names
3) My Daddy . My Hero
with kid's names
4) Worlds Best Dad
with kid's names
5) Father . Story-Teller . Friend . Snuggler . Hero . Encourager . My Dad