splish splash

eden has way too much fun in the bath...


and really... is there a better smell than a freshly bathed baby lathered in baby lotion?

jump start .com... win it!

Most moms have heard of the learning company Jump Start- but did you know they have a fabulous website?

They do. It's jumpstart.com.

And my kids (ages 4, 6 and 8) are HOOKED!

To begin, each kid signs in to play separately and they get to make their own avatars they play with called a "Jumpee", which my kids think is so fun! I think they are *supposed* to look like the child- Tessa's has purple pigtails :)



Then they are off to play- there is a "Story Land" area perfect for 3-5 year olds, an "Adventure Land" area for 5-8 year olds and soon there will be a "Future Land" area for ages 8-10... so there is something for everyone if you have little ones at home!

My kids have spent MANY HOURS playing Jump Start, they have been exploring new worlds, going on adventures, collecting gems, finding and unlocking games, etc., and the whole time they are learning math, reading and critical thinking skills!



Jonah and Tessa (ages 4 and 6) have spent alot of time playing it together and it has been alot of fun listening to them try to "figure it out" as a team! And they are so proud of themselves when they do :)

I love the fact that it's learning, totally kid friendly and SAFE! If I need them occupied for a bit I feel comfortable leaving the room, knowing they are having fun on a protected website :)

They also have a fun and informative blog as well as a "parent" area on the website to keep the parents connected.

To get all of the benefits as a member it's just $7.99 per family a month!

**********

Jump Start.com is generously giving away a 3 month membership to one lucky reader!

Just leave a comment and you will be entered... your kids (and you!) will LOVE it!

oldies but goodies

After numerous requests two of our most popular necklaces are back and on the website :)



Find them both under simple here and here!

pretty stuff

some pretty stuff we have acquired recently.

This adorable apron from my friend Jemellia of Jem Jam, we actually have 2 of them to wear during our jewelry shows. She pumped these out like 2 days before the show and overnighted them to me- amazing service I must say!



We got many compliments on them and handed out a stack of her biz cards :)



The girls have GORGEOUS matching dresses from Rebekah of sunnybrook farm designs, love them Rebekah, thank you!







I won these CUTE hair clippies from Lisa of ellebows. I adore the name of her business (her daughters name is Elle and she makes bows, too cute!) and her clippies are not only adorable but they stay in Eden's hair!

such a fun package to open!



I think Eden needs more of these :)





Love these pretty messy flowers from Julie of Joy's Hope. Cute on a headband...





or as a pin you can add on a jacket, jean dress, your purse, anything you want to jazz up! I will be getting more soon, they are addicting :)



I have some pretty talented friends :)

Be sure and check out their shops AND their blogs (all are linked above)!

sunday randomness

we spent the morning drinking our coffee outside while watching the kids play in the backyard...


then I took the 3 older kids bowling while Ryan stayed home and let Eden take her nap. I LOVE Eden to pieces but it was SO NICE to not have to chase her around and I actually got to bowl, double fun!


We played boys (Caleb and Jonah) vs. girls (Tessa and I) and us girls won both games :)

Which may be hard to believe when Tessa bowls like this:


I had to walk down our neighbor's gutter to retrieve her ball.

then we went sunglass shopping... I gave my last pair to Eden while shopping one day when she started to get fussy and I never saw them again, lil stinker chunked them overboard somewhere in the store!

I liked Tessa in these :)


Then we picked up Daddy and Eden and went for Chicago style pizza... well, as authentic as you can get here in Oklahoma :)

Hope you all had a fab sunday!

daddy's girl

Eden is quite enamored with Ryan... and the feelings are defintely reciprocated :)

opposites attract and a winner!

opposites attract...



Ryan's coffee (left) next to mine.

Kinda looks like they are kissing :)

**********

And, the winner of the "oval of love" necklace, randomly picked by the random number generator, is Marcia who said:

"LOVE IT!!
I would put my daughter's name and baby's name (still inutero!) on it!

Audrey and ??? (can't write it here because I have friends that post to you!) ;) Will tell you if I win! Ha! :)

~Marcia :) "

email me Marcia!

**********

We are all trying to recoup from headcolds that swept through our house this week :P What is up with colds in the summer?! Hope you are all having a more exciting weekend than us!

barefoot soccer

Ryan coerced me to quit organizing my office stuff and come out and play soccer tonight...





isn't this goalie intimidating? *snicker*



Riley the dog is the best defender... which gets really annoying when you are on offense.



the boys let me snap a quick pic in between games, aren't they handsome? :)



sometimes it's good to drop the "work" and just go play :)

more giveaways!

Catherine over at Favors with Love is having a giveaway week! Go win some fun stuff here!

oval of love... want one?

A brand new design just added to the website today! I really love how it turned out!

A sterling oval with a sterling heart fused on top. Lightly hammered around the edges, hung on a sterling chain. Best fits 1-3 names or words. Makes a fabulous gift!

We've been working alot this week so let's let loose and have some fun and give one away :)

Just leave a comment with what you would have hand stamped on it (I love hearing your names and/or words, so fun!) and you will be entered!

an affair of the heart

we had a great time at the show! it was so fun to be face to face with the customer, helping them pick out a special piece, seeing their excitement over it and hearing the meaning behind it! the show was a huge success and we learned ALOT.


(taken by Ryan and his phone camera!)

HUGE THANKS to my girls jessica and jennifer for all of your help! couldn't have done it without them and we giggled together all weekend :)

and jessica, we ARE smarter than pvc piping :)

a new bracelet was made just before the show and it was a big hit so we are adding it to the website later this week. it may also get added as a necklace, quite a few requested it this weekend...



off to bed, bootcamp is calling at 5 am and I am exhausted! hope you all had a fab weekend!

working...

I have been working quite a bit lately getting things ready for a big craft show here in town, Affair of the Heart (if you are in the Tulsa area come say hi!).

I love working on jewelry, and getting ready for the show has been fun and exciting (and tiring!) but I havn't seen my kids as much as usual- it's hard! Ryan has been great, taking care of them and bringing them up to see me. The show ends sunday, so monday we are just gonna relaaaaax :)

and the winner is...

The winner of the custom LOVE DEFINED print is Emily who said:

"i can't even tell you how badly i want to win this :)
i LOVE LOVE LOVE the sweet names one...with the psalms. i want one for every kid!
thanks for such a neat give-a-way!"

A huge thanks to Hope Ink for the great giveaway!

If you haven't checked out her shop go now, her stuff is amazing!

today...

feel the wind in your hair...



enjoy a treat...



notice the pretty stuff...



hug someone you love...



be carefree...



hang out with some friends...



tell someone a story...



enjoy your day!!!

hopeink LOVE DEFINED giveaway!

A new Etsy shop recently discovered is Hope Ink!

Emily, owner and designer, makes ready to hang canvases and notecards using God's Words from scriptures, they are all beautiful and uplifting!!! Most everything can be personalized. LOVE them, I'm eyeing a few of the canvases for our walls.

Little bits about Emily: "Mama to 4 kiddos, living in sunny California, and helping my husband with our non-profit counseling ministry. Love to design art that showcases Scripture in a fun and fresh way - with personal touches like names and color choices. A weakness for iced coffee."

Emily is giving away a custom love defined personalized print!



Just go check out her shop and then come back and tell us what's your fave!?

Happy monday!

on vacay and the website is done (sorta)

tuesday evening we snuck up to Nebraska for a few days for a family wedding on saturday. enjoying time in the sun, swimming,picnics, walks and visiting with great grandparents. my internet access is very limited and will answer all emails when I return :)

...............

In the meantime, the jewelry website is done. Kinda sorta. I have more stuff to add but needed to take a break from working on it (plus we went out of town) so they will be added later. And I have some tweaking to do here and there.

But it's ready to take orders!

A HUGE thanks to Timi for making this site for me! She was so patient with me, we have been working on this for months!

Please take a peek at the new site, www.thevintagepearl.com, would love to know what you think!?

Also, please let me know if you run into any glitches, typos, etc. :)

(funny thing is we already had orders and emails just moments after we went live to test it a few days ago! Freaked me out a bit as I wasn't ready, but so exciting!)


have a fab week!

family tree

something new made for IvyLane's "wings" launch that starts today! LOTS OF CUTE STUFF, go look around!

so we took the family tree design idea that is floating around out there and addded a bird for each family member. then stamped each members names around the edge, so sweet!

I'm not sure if this will be added to the website or not so this may be the only one offered!

find it here!

introducing...

Please click HERE!

I am thrilled to have the photography site up and running! Starting a photography business has been something I have been dreaming of and I have finally decided to just go for it :)

The first 5 sesions booked will receive a free 8x10 of their choice!

almost ready!

I spent almost the entire weekend trying to finish up our new jewelry website... I was dreaming about jewelry last night!

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red, white and blue!

and a very special birthday wish...



Eden watching her first fireworks...







Hope everyone had a fun and safe celebration!