We had a great trip!

It was so nice to get to see family in North Carolina! When we arrived on Wednesday it was 75 degrees! Quite different than Ohio!

The above pic is a shot of all the cousins! They had a great time with each other. Even though they only see each other about once a year, they pick up where they left off and get along great!

To say my boys had a good time would be an understatement! Their Aunt Marybeth and Uncle Kit spoil them rotten. They live just down the street from Grandma so we can walk over. They spent the night on Wednesday playing video games and watching movies until the wee hours of the morning. Then on Thanksgiving night, they invited Zachary, Connor, Patrick and Nathan to sleep over. Yep, another late night. Alexandra and Kaitlyn spent the night at Grandma's with me and Eddie. Those girls are too cute. Alexandra was fascinated with Uncle Eddie's tattoos. She asked him a million questions. (Tom, I think one is in your future!) They really got a kick out of Eddie. He is what you might call the "crazy uncle". Always trying to make them laugh. At one point, Alexandra looked at me and said, "I'm so glad you married him." Me too!

On Friday, we all went to see Fred Claus. It was too funny and the kids loved it! Who can resist Vince Vaughan? On Friday night we went to Tommy and Kitty's house for some ham and leftovers. I got this great shot of Eddie and his mom too.

We are going to decorate the house for Christmas today. The kids can't wait. Also, Eddie's sister Marybeth is going to have surgery tomorrow. Please say a prayer that all will go well and she will be feeling like her old self soon.

We're Crafty!

Zachary and I have been in the mood to create lately. The above pic is Zachary's Ohio State banner he made on Saturday while watching Ohio State beat Michigan. He is learning to sew in art class and wanted to get in some practice. He cut all the letters from felt and sewed them on by hand, all by himself. I had to help him thread the needle one time. Other then that, it was all him. Kinda sad that he sews better than his mother!
Here is what I made on Saturday. After seeing these cute trees by Tia Bennett on Two Peas and on Ali Edwards blog I decided to give it a whirl. It was so easy and I love how it turned out. I am going to make a smaller one as well. Also got some paper mache cones to alter a la Nicole Harper! She made the cutest trees out of them. Check em out here!

We are leaving tomorrow for North Carolina. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!
Gotta go do laundry and pack!

So excited for...

THIS! They just hit the newstands this past week! My first ever published layout is in this book! I cannot wait to get my copy and check out everyone else's awesome work. What makes this even more special is Erika and Nicole are also in this idea book! What an awesome thing to share with your best friends!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? You know what that means? Christmas is just around the corner! Have you started shopping? I have done a little and hope to finish within the next week or so.

We will be traveling to NC for Thanksgiving to see Eddie's family. It is the only time of the year when we get to see nieces and nephews from his side. My kids are looking forward to playing with their cousins. We are especially excited to meet Owen! He is the newest member of the Emch clan!

And because posts are boring without pics, I posted a recent layout I did. Don't know why blogger always puts pics first because I wanted the pic to be lower in my post but oh well!

Have a great weekend!

TGIF!

Looking forward to a somewhat relaxing weekend! Our lives have been so busy lately that it is nice when we can just take a breather and relax.

Lots going on. The boys both got excellent report cards for on Wednesday! Connor is learning so much and totally enjoying the first grade! He is reading and spelling everything! I can't even spell out a word that I don't want him to hear anymore. He knows what I am saying now!
Zachary made first honors with a 3.98 GPA! So proud of that kid! He was the only one in his class to get first honors.

I had a yummy lunch with Nicole and her mom, Elaine today. (Sorry about the spilled pop) Nicole's mom is so funny and sweet. Tomorrow night Nicole and Erika are coming over to scrapbook.

Wanted to wish my parents a belated Happy Anniversary. It was November 7 and they have been married for 42 years, I think.

Ok, I am rambling and I have to pick the kids up from school. Have a great weekend.

Let's start with a layout!

Made this with the October kit from Studio Calico. I just love their kits. They are so well put together and pay such attention to detail. April and Scarlet outdo themselves every month. If you haven't checked them out just click on the link to the right. You won't be disappointed.
I love this picture of me with my parents. We went to Myrtle Beach in August with them to celebrated my birthday. Eddie snapped a great shot of us just before we left to go to dinner.

Our football season is over. We lost our last game a few weeks ago 8-6. The boys were so upset. They wanted to go out on a winning note but it just didn't happen. Our record was 3-3 much better than last years 0-6 record. There is talk of an indoor football league for the winter which Zachary seems to be interested in. He has his first Basketball practice for his school's CYO team tonight. It will be the first time he has played for his school and he is so excited.

Boy, the weather sure feels a lot like winter here today. A high of 39 with chance of a rain/snow mix. Brrrrr! Ok, gotta go buy some food. It is looking like Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard around here!

I give you Ghost Chopper and Motorcross Rider!

Well, another Halloween has come and gone! It was a little weird trick or treating when it was still light outside but it didn't stop the boys one bit. As you can see, Zachary is still into scary costumes. Connor has been wanting to be a dirt bike rider for two years. We just couldn't find one. This year he got his wish.

The boys always go trick or treating with Dylan, Carter, Abby and Alex. The dads take them around the neighborhood while the moms stay and give out the candy. Erika and I always sit outside in her driveway. This year we were joined by three other neighbors. This way the kids got to hit 5 houses at once. It works out perfectly and we always have a good time!

Want to wish my friends Erika and JR a Happy Anniversary! Also, Erika has found out she is having a girl! I am so happy for them! Let the buying of the pink begin! After two boys, she deserves to have some pink!