Lovely Little Flowers

Lovely Little Flowers' Catch-Up Time!!

2010-03-05T14:34:00.004-06:00

As stated in previous blogs, I am NOT a good blogger!! I just realized I hadn't put anything concerning "Lovely Little Flowers" items so here is an overview of what I've been doing. If there is anything you see that you want me to make your little one, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible because I'm getting to the point in my pregnancy that sitting at the sewing machine is becoming unbearable! ;-)

I've come up with something for the boys.

Here is a couple of onesies I did for Jerry's friend.

A camo cross and tie (for the redneck in your little business man!)

Here is an example of a shirt I made for Kamryn for Valentine's Day and one I donated for an auction for a little boy in Glenwood that was diagnosed with cancer.

This one was also donated to the auction. The two heart shirts were put together with a Hannah Montana blanket and raised $40.00 I believe, which made me happy that I could do something to help! I HATE cancer - it's everywhere! It SUCKS!!
The whole auction raised a little over $4,000!!

My friend's mom asked me to do these two shirts for her grandgirls Ava and Ryne! I LOVE how they came out!! If you would like an appliqued shirt like this it'll be $15.00 (no shipping and handling)

This shirt was done for the same friend's kiddo Miss Ryne. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this shirt!! (Also, $15.00)

A close-up of the cross

This is a close-up of a headband I did for a little girl in our church Miss Kenedee. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this headband! I need to make one for another little girl in Oklahoma and I can't forget Miss Mary Beth before she's born!!!
(This headband is $5.00)

The dress I made to go with the above headband or vice-versa - which ever comes first right...the chicken or the egg?! ;-) I LOVE the zebra print peasant style pillowcase dress.
(This dress is $15.00)

This is a dress I did for our Fall Festival back in October that I still haven't sold. I guess if it comes down to it I can always let Mary Beth wear it!!

As you can see I've been busy! Let me know if I can help you out!!! Thanks in advance!!

I am OFFICIALLY a bad blogger!!

2010-02-12T14:54:00.008-06:00

I realize I'm horrible at blogging. For heavens sake I STILL haven't posted anything from Kamryn's THIRD birthday which was in May!! Goodness!! Here are a FEW pictures from Christmastime I thought I'd share...

Jerry was in China for the first part of December and that was REALLY weird not having him here! He had to go over to their China factory to put a piece of equipment back together. He had an "uneventful" time while over there.

He was able to see the "Forbidden City" where one of his tooth's crown fell off. Thankfully he wasn't in any pain!!

He had some really interesting foods. The pictures are all on his computer so I can't share them but you can go ahead and thank me for that because you would surely throw up if you did see them!!

He and his group went to see "The Great Wall of China". He said it was AMAZING!! Overall he had a great trip and Kamryn and I had some good "girl time" but missed him terribly!!!

We were able to keep ourselves busy with several things: A "Tacky Christmas Sweater" Party, the Sparkman Elementary Christmas Play, an all day shopping trip with a church friend, Cecilia to shop for our "Holiday Cheer" project for the kids of our community, a wedding and several pajama parties together!!

Here are some pictures of Kamryn:

Kamryn and I at the "Tacky Christmas Sweater" Party

This year's Christmas seemed to be really special for Kamryn she was thankful for everything and seemed to really enjoy herself!! We were thankful for being able to give her the "last Christmas with just the three of us"...I guess it didn't dawn on us until halfway through the month that next year will be completely different and oh so much sweeter with Mary Beth here! But we were also worried that Kamryn needed one last "hoorah" before she was no longer an only child....not sure if that was right or not but it was right for our family!! :-)

Here is Kamryn laying out cookies for Santa:

Christmas morning coming in to see what Santa brought her!!

Santa left her a note...

She was impressed!!

And now after uploading and rearranging all of these pictures I know why I don't blog all of the time!!!

Help Angie Help Haiti!!

2010-01-19T23:35:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone!!! (Quick post...no time for anything else....ugh!!!)

Please take a look at Angie Smith's blog "Bring the Rain" (click here) to help her raise money to send to Haiti.

For every comment left Angie will donate 25 cents to Haiti!!!! SO, go! Leave a comment!!!

A GREAT surprise!!!

2009-11-03T15:40:00.002-06:00

I almost forgot!!! A little under a month ago we received the BEST news - we are going to be an aunt and uncle again!!! Yep, Nathan and Julie are having their fourth blessing from the Lord!!
And to top it off Julie is almost exactly a month behind me!! I'm due April 27th and she is due May 25th!!! Another neat little coincidence - our due date is our 8th anniversary and Nate and Julie's is our best friends Jeremy and Jill's 8th anniversary! I think that's neat! I guess an easy way to remember the due dates as if we could forget!!!

A Fall Photo Session and a Little Butterfly Fairy Princess...

2009-11-03T13:55:00.006-06:00

Last week was a rainy, rainy, rainy week!! But graciously God spared me the rain on my birthday Wednesday!!! After Kamryn and I went to eat lunch with my Mom we had a little photo session!!! Here are some of my favorites!!

She's such a cheeseball!!! ;-)

I wonder what she's thinking about...? :-) I just LOVE her brown eyes!!!

My pretty princess!!

Saturday was Halloween and Kamryn wanted to be a Butterfly Fairy Princess....?

Trick or Treating in the country involves getting in the car and riding around!!! I was so TIRED afterwards!!! Oh, how I wish we could have just walked around a neighborhood!!

Oh, to be so carefree and unbiased to the nastiness of this world!!!!

The sad looking antenna I made...they were a little lopsided!! ;-) I bought the wings but made the tutu...I love how it came out and so did Kamryn which is all that matters!! I love that she's turning out to be a 'one-of-a-kind' kind of girl!! Not one to follow the crowd which is what I love about her!! She is an individual that loves her individuality!!! Just a minute of talking to her you'll see she's easy to love and has the most unique personality, she's a friend's friend with a great sense of humor!!

You Ate That Whole Block of Cheese!

2009-08-27T22:25:00.002-05:00

What's with the title you say? A funny little antidote from tonight...

Let me prefaced this by saying we are big fans of Will Ferrell, he's funny. He has a weird sense of humor quite like ours...we're weird! One of our favorites is Anchorman. If you to are a fan then you know the scene where he comes home and his dog is talking to him, by of course, barking at him. Will Ferrell's character answers him by repeating what the dog says. An example? Okay.

Dog barking
WF's Character's response: Baxter! You know I don't speak Spanish!
Dog barking
WF's Character's response: What you ate the whole block of cheese?!
Dog barking
WF's Character's response: No, I'm not mad. I'm quite proud!

Okay, I know that's not too terribly funny reading it, but believe me, it's HILARIOUS!

So, Jerry does this with our dog, Janie when she barks at us. We know what she wants, she wants to go outside to do what she can't do inside...I won't tell you, you should know what I'm talking about!

Now, Kamryn hears this and tonight as Janie does, when I get finished eating (notice I didn't say when Jerry gets finished - she's SUPPOSED to be HIS dog, but SHE does NOT KNOW this!!!) looks straight at me when it would be just as easier to look at Jerry, starts barking at ME. Well, I am not listening to her and Kam out of no where says, "What?! You ate the whole block of cheese?!"!!!!!!! And precedes to crack herself and Jerry and I up!!! MAN, it was funny!!!

Baby On The Way!!!!

2009-08-20T17:05:00.003-05:00

Quick little note to you all....I found out Monday that I am going to be having a baby April 27th, 2010 and an added bonus, that's our 8th wedding anniversary!!!! Is that the coolest or what!!!
Some prayer request for you all to go to the Father with: As you all know I am a diabetic and I have concerns with that and the pregnancy. I have an appointment with my endocrinologist on Monday at 8:15 so remember me as I travel to Little Rock. She told me in February that I was healthy enough to get pregnant but by the time my May's Hemoglobin A1C test was mailed to me in June it showed it was a little elevated and didn't suggest me getting pregnant...I've been working on it since then so I hope I'm okay! Please be praying for that!! I didn't want to get back on birth control pills after I had been off it for a month because of the problems we had getting pregnant with Kamryn (it took us 2 years!! I wasn't ovulating for some reason...)
She has already switched me to another type of 24 hour insulin because the one I was taking is not FDA approved for pregnancy! Yikes! I will start that tonight so, if you can pray for me and my little growing baby I would REALLY appreciate it!
Oh, I forgot, I took that insulin when I was pregnant with Kamryn and she came out just fine so I haven't hurt this baby! I was going to another endocrinologist at the time and I guess he either didn't know or didn't care. My opinion is he didn't care to know - I REALLY didn't like him! ;-)
Well, that's about it for now!! We are REALLY excited!!!

Homecoming and Other Lovely Things

2009-08-13T15:01:00.003-05:00

The first weekend in this month our church celebrated our annual homecoming!

Are you wondering why we are dressed this way?

That's because we have a tradition of dressing "Old Fashioned"...I think it's pretty great! I always liked dressing up when I was a little girl. I guess that "little girl" is still in me! ;)

I made Kamryn and my outfits (minus the bonnet and my shirt). I think it all turned out great!

Here is Kamryn with her little buddy Chase. Aren't they the cutest?

I just LOVE her little prairie dress....Isn't it great?!

Last weekend I told some of my MySpace customers/friends that I was working on a t-shirt pillowcase dress well Saturday I finished it. It didn't turn out as great as I would have hoped but it's still cute...Jerry and I both agreed it needed to go in the dress up box though! ;) I think we both figured out that I cut the t-shirt too short so the fabric and the jersey fabric weren't "hanging" right. I did a little thinking and put ribbon on it. Well, that didn't help either! ;) THEN, I tried putting elastic on the waist and that helped a little but off the little girl it looks HORRIBLE! I could NEVER sell anything like that in good conscience! ;) I'm going to think on it some more and do a little more working/perfecting the magic that I know can be a t-shirt pillowcase dress! ;)

Kamryn LOVES it though!! Don't you just love the Razorback fabric? It's cute to hear Kam doing the "WHOOOoooooo Pig Sooiee!"

See how it puckers in the chest area...I don't like it...am I picky? Probably!!

I LOVE the black/white polka dot "K"!! What do you think? PLEASE comment so I don't feel like I'm talking to myself here! ;)

This Sunday night we canceled our services and Kamryn wanted me to play in her room with her. Which was a little strange for her because she usually plays so well by herself...and prefers it that way...?

Anyway, we had a GREAT time playing with all of her farm animals (mostly horses) that we get every time we go into Atwoods!

After supper she wanted to put her ballerina outfit on (can you tell my little girl is very diverse?! Give her a horse, Star Wars Light Saber, dollie or ballerina outfit and she's good to go!). This was her Halloween costume from last year so it was a little "snug" but she didn't care!

This is her "pose".

I think we need a ballerina bar...don't you?

This picture CRACKED me up...Janie trying to get some attention...she looks disgusted! ;)

Wow! Can you believe it, two blogs in two days! I'm on a role!!!

Beautiful Day - Zebra Dress!

2009-08-12T23:04:00.006-05:00

Today was a BEAUTIFUL August day...actually it felt more like a late September day...So, what do the Holland chics do? Well, we go out and have a photo shoot...doesn't everyone? ;)

Jerry recently purchased a new camera and I have been playing with it - it's taking awhile to get used to it!

Anyway, I like how some of these came out despite my 'ineptness' in editing...

Don't you think your little girl needs one of these?!

She actually posed this way for the picture - cracked me up!!! I just LOVE the red 'barn' door in the background! Who knew we had such a great backyard for photos!!

Kam's First TV Crush Other than Diego...aw!

2009-08-08T20:23:00.006-05:00

I have to give you this quick little story...I want to cry right now - Kamryn has her FIRST TV crush! Is that not the saddest thing? Well, not really when you hear about all the suffering in this cruel world but for me, a first time Mom to a VERY prissy girl, it's a milestone I wish we would have crossed WAY down the line!!
I like to watch Little People, Big World on TLC and Kam likes to watch it with me...it's a really great show. Anyway, I was working on a new style of pillowcase dress (that's another story) yesterday and as Kam does most of the time was in my sewing room with me chatting me up (by the way: BIG talker - the girl talks ALL day long- really!). She's got to where she has imaginary - or as she calls - "imagination" friends (mostly her cousins but sometimes Diego will be at the house with us)...just a little strange when I have to give an imaginary kid a kiss goodnight or serve them imaginary food OR (this one is a good one) make the Wal-Mart greeter give the invisible kid a smiley face sticker (yep, try to explain that one to a 60 plus lady!!).
Anywho, back to my story - bare with me people! Where were we? Oh, yeah in the sewing room yesterday...I was cutting some material and I heard Kamryn talking to her friends and she said Jeremy. I stopped what I was doing because I had never heard her talking to this friend. I asked her, "Kam who is Jeremy?" Her reply? "My 'fa-wa-and' from big 'word', 'wittle' people...you know?"
How precious!!
Well, I'm sitting on the pot (not using it) with the laptop watching Kam play in the bathtub right now and she's ready to get out - better go! I just had to share that before it left the Ole Noggin!! ;)
One more, she was getting upset (imagine that!) because a washcloth wouldn't do what she wanted it to do so Jerry came in to help her and he told her, "Use your noodle" and her reply, "What kind?" -- HA! Can you tell we eat a LOT of pasta!! Ha Ha Ha!!

Thank you cards, old fashioned?

2009-07-24T14:02:00.003-05:00

I was reminded today of one of my favorite things as I went to the mailbox today, a proper thank you card. You know the kind of thank you card when you KNOW the person is grateful. The kind of thank you card when you know they took a couple of minutes out of their busy day to stop to THANK you!
I get so tired of receiving the generic thanks, i.e. thank you for the "fill in the blank" I know we will get great use out the "fill in the blank". thank you again, generic person.
My sister, who has a newborn and a five year old took the time to thank me. If she can do it, the next time someone does something nice for you, please stop to properly thank them. Express your thanks...with WORDS...
In this world of e-mails and text messages get a pen and paper out and write!

Baking Soda and Vinegar better than Drano?

2009-07-15T16:41:00.002-05:00

Who out there loves a bargain?! Who loves to protect the Earth? Well, I do and I would love to tell you how to do it in an "itty bitty" way!!
Let me explain...I've known about this for awhile and have used it several times but was reminded of it when Kamryn's bathtub had a slow drain problem...for the second time in her 3 years! What is going on with that? She's three how much hair could she shed? Well, apparently a bunch!!
Let me tell you how to use baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain!!!
First, you pour baking soda down the drain. Secondly, you pour vinegar down the drain. Repeat as long as there is still a drain problem....It's that easy!!!
There's two benefits to this, first it's so much cheaper than the normal drain cleaner secondly it's a lot healthier for the environment and if it's good for the environment guess what? It's safe for your child!!!

I hope this helps...

I know I still haven't updated you all on Kamryn's birthday party (2 months ago! LOL!) and vacation bible school and oh, yeah I have a new nephew, Carter Grey was born 07-08-09!!! We have had a BUSY summer so far! I hope you all are having a great one too!!!

Strep Throat...UGH!!!

2009-06-10T16:53:00.002-05:00

Just a quick little post...as usual!!!

I am SO bummed right now...I woke up yesterday with a VERY BAD sore throat and ran fever off and on all day...today I decided to go to the doctor. Today I found out, as I suspected, I have strep throat!! I haven't had that since I was in elementary school! CRAZY!!!
Right now, I am hurting. I really have a lot I want to be doing but just don't feel like it! Thank the Lord for Disney movies (never thought I would say that!!) - they are keeping Kamryn busy to where she isn't constantly needing my attention!
I am also bummed because Jill and I, after MANY attempts, were going to get our kids together to play tomorrow but my doctor told me I would still be contagious tomorrow! Oh, well, we'll try again in a couple of weeks!! (there is always something with the two of us! LOL!!)
Ok, Jerry just called and said he was on his way home, I'm cooking chicken pot pie - I thought that would feel good on my "shroat" as Kam calls it!!! (that's a combination of sore and throat if you were wondering!!). He was so cute, he asked if he needed to pick anything up for supper (yesterday we ate at the little cafe here in Sparkman because I hurt so bad and he felt sorry for me!) - tonight he was just afraid that by me touching the food he might get it! HA! Bless him...

Real Quick....

2009-06-04T10:59:00.005-05:00

It's been awhile since I last posted - it's been SUPER busy around here!! When I have more time (Ha HA!!), I'll catch up with you guys!

Here is a quick overview:

Kamryn turned THREE on May 23rd!!! We had a great time at her party!! I'll let you all know in more detail later!!!

Last week I was busy decorating for Vacation Bible School!!! Let's just say one of our Sunday School rooms turned into a CAVE!!! It is SO cool!!!!

This week....Vacation Bible School!!! It's going SO great!!!! A lot of the kids are saying it's the best they've been to!!! We had two kids (twins no less - how cool is that?!) AcceptBelieveConfess and became Christians on Tuesday!! Born into the world on the same day and born into the kingdom of heaven on the same day!!! They spoke with two different people so they didn't know what the other person was doing which makes even cooler!!!!

Today it feels SO nice outside! I think we need to go out and play!!

Have a great rest of the week!!!

Tagged....

2009-05-22T09:40:00.004-05:00

I was tagged by Meagan...

I met Meagan in 1995 - WOW! That seems SO long ago...We've had a lot of great times! Too many to mention!! I love you Meag!! It's weird being an adult with her now!! LOL!!!

Here are the instructions for "eight things": Mention the person that tagged you. Complete the list of eight things. Tag eight of your wonderful blogger friends. Go tell them you tagged them

Eight things I look forward to:

1. Kamryn's THIRD Birthday Party on her actual birthday tomorrow!!!
2. Hopefully getting pregnant this summer!!
3. Making the baby!! ;)
4. Seeing how Kamryn will react to a baby in the family!
5. Vacation Bible School!!
6. Seeing what God has in store for us...as a family and as a church
7. Seeing my "business" grow!!!
8. Meeting my new nephew - my sister's scheduled c-section is on 07/08/09!! 7,8,9 get it? She is a surgery nurse and could schedule it on whatever day she wanted! I think it's pretty neat!!

Eight things I did yesterday:

1. Laundry
2. Picked up some orders from "Monogram It!"
3. Paid some bills in town
4. Grocery shopping for the week
5. Picked up Kamryn's Birthday stuff for tomorrow!!!
6. Arrived in town so late that I was able to get KFC for supper! YAY - no cooking!!
7. Gave Kamryn a bath (isn't my life SO interesting! HA!!)
8. Argued my case to Kam that I don't NEED to be in her room when she goes to bed - SO irritating!!

Eight things I wish I could do:

1. Have a house of our own.
2. go on 4 vacations a year. (me too Meag!)
3. have more orders for my business!!!
4. have everyone like me! HA! And understand why those people don't like me based on what someone else has told them...not what they have learned from me...yes, I was THAT kid - I wanted everyone to like me to the point of doing stupid things to make them like me....
5. understand why they still care to know what I and my family do...realistically I know that is not going to happen...although I do want to be your friend...believe it or not...
6. let it not bother me...I am praying for peace of mind...
7. lose 20 lbs
8. run & exercise more...

Eight shows I watch:
1. GMA
2. Little People Big World
3. Jon and Kate Plus Eight
4. Table for 12
5. Baby Story
6. Ugly Betty
7. American Idol (when it's on)
8. Dancing with the Stars (when it's on)

I tag: anyone who wants to do it! :)

Happy SEVEN year Anniversary (2 days late...) and our money trap the English Bulldog...

2009-04-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been almost a month since I last updated you all - a LOT has happened!!

Janie / Daisy Update:

The day after Daisy got here she was already on her way out...let me explain:

As I told you in my last post she came in the door and made a straight line underneath our bed! Well, Janie in all of her 47 lb glory squeezed herself under there with Daisy! It was a site to see! I don't know how - either Janie scratched herself on the bed frame or because Daisy DID NOT want to play with the big puppy she swatted at Janie. Who knows? All I know is later that afternoon I looked down at her and her eye was red or rather her third eyelid had popped out - gross, I know!

Debbie and Bill picked Daisy up that Wednesday before they left to go to Florida - now Daisy is an official road dog! I felt really bad that we were unable to keep her - she's a real good dog - she's just a dog that doesn't like big puppies! She assuredly had a better time in Florida than she would have had under our bed for the 10 days she was schedule to stay here!!

We spent that night looking up "eyes of E. Bulldog's" and everything we came up with told us that Janie had "Cherry Eye" which involves surgery! Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep!

After Daisy was gone I took Janie to the vet and she told us that Janie sure enough had a scratch on her eye but she did not think it was cherry eye. She gave us some drops to help heal her scratch but would not heal the eye lid hanging out. We had to heal the scratch before we could put steroid drops to help the eyelid. So, we went home with drops...How was that - putting eye drops in a bulldogs eye? Let me just say I invented my own way of doing it after wrangling her to the ground, wrapping my legs around her to try to stop her from squiggling away and missing her eye completely, wasting the expensive eye drops - I decided that it would be best to "sneak attack" her!! I wait until she is fast asleep, pry her eye open and WHAM-O the drops go in as she gives me the "look of disgust"!

A week later Kam and I load her up to take Janie for a re-check and yep, the scratch is still there although this time it is smaller!! The vet decided to draw blood from the "bull headed" bulldog, to make a serum that will help her eye heal better, this was an experience to say the least! There were three people other than the vet holding the fatty down - have I mentioned that EBG's have STRONG leg muscles? THEY DO!!! She did not like it and there were several times during the experience when she looked up at me with VERY sad eyes as if to say, "why are you letting these mean people do this to me, you HORRIBLE woman?!" She ended up getting enough - Thank the Lord!!

A week later we brought her back and the scratch was better!!! It had gone down in size but was still there. Still no steroid drops, although the eye lid doesn't look as bad!

One more week later (I think - this has been a long experience!) we dropped her off to be boarded so that we could go to Branson to celebrate our SEVEN year anniversary!!! When I picked her up this Monday the vet said that there was still a scratch!! UGH!!!

Anniversary Trip Update:

A week or two before we left we had planned on Kamryn staying with Bill and Debbie but Jerry decided to give Kamryn a choice...and to our surprise she picked Branson! I know right, she skipped out on MeMe to go with us, her parents! WOW!

Thursday at work Jerry did something to his back and the whole time we were up there he hurt - I was constantly putting Aspercream on him. He did manage to keep up with Kamryn and I while we shopped (good for us huh?!). Friday evening we toured the Titanic museum, which Kamryn thought was an actual boat and by the end of the tour was asking to "get off here". Saturday we shopped at the different outlet malls and went down to The Landing to let Kamryn look at the "fishies". After that we of course, went to Cold Stone Creamery - LOVE that place!!! After supper Saturday night we played "Golf Game" where the theme was "Dinosaurs" - Kamryn LOVED the place and actually beat Jerry and I - at least the first half of the rounds - half way through she was too bored by it! LOL!! I was really proud of her though, she did really good!!

The only part of the trip, other than Jerry's back hurting him, that was a problem was that the pollen up there is just now blooming so our allergies acted up on ALL of us!! Now Kamryn and I are sneezing, coughing and blowing our noses - have I mentioned how much I hate pollen?!

Before we left on our trip I was able to complete some shirts for my nieces...I love how they turned out. Although I found out yesterday that Audrey's neck and arms were a little tight but thankfully my sister can sew too and I think she'll be able to fix it otherwise I guess she is going to have to mail it back to me and I can fix it...not a big deal!!

Audrey's shirt

Anna Grace's shirt -- I LOVE this one!!!

Well, that's all for now!! I'll let you know how Janie's eye is doing next week when we go back to the vet.

I want to end by saying, I am SO blessed to have such a loving husband and I am so happy that he has put up with me for SEVEN years!! It doesn't seem like we've been married that long, I guess that's a good thing, right?!
I LOVE you Jerry and here is to another seven times seven years!!!!!!! CLINK!!!!!!!

Catch up....

2009-04-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

So...it's been awhile!

Here are a few things that have been going on in the Holland household:

On March 21st, Clint and Ashley were married!! As I told you in a past blog the wedding was brown and cream and I knew that I would never find a brown and cream dress that was affordable for us so I decided to make one! It turned out pretty cute ~ to be honest with you all, I wish it was a little longer...I don't know what I was thinking when I cut it out!! Anyway, I still think it's cute!!!

Here is little Miss Kamryn in the dress. When we left the house I guess she didn't realize there was going to be SO many cars out there!! That explains the expression on her face! HA!

The lovely couple!!!

I really don't know why the girl can't smile normal for me ~ especially when I'm looking so cute! HA!!! Of course, I wish my hair was a little bigger - not boofy enough!! LOL!!

Our lovely little "brown" family!!!
(again, a goofy smile from Kamryn - she's going to REALLY regret this when she is older - could this be a brief picture of how she's going to act when she is a teenager? Do we have a little actor/comedienne on our hand's?)

This is a dress I made out of a pillowcase that was on sale @ Wal-Mart and the sleeves were made from a cut-off of a denim skirt that was too long for me...I LOVE how it came out!!! (and OF COURSE the pink jelly shoes she showed EVERYONE!!!)

She just can't seem to look at the camera or smile right...

I found a lady on MySpace that makes (or at least I think she makes them...) well, at least sales these ADORABLE beenies with flower/bow attachments. This is the outfit she wore to church last Sunday and I just HAD to take a picture of it she looked so stankin' cute!!!

We have some friends at church that their little girl, Kelsey had her birthday party Sunday. We didn't get to go, I hadn't seen my Momma in a month and I couldn't stay away anymore!!! HA! But I did make this cute little shirt for her...I LOVE how it turned out - I hope it fits her and that she LOVES it as much as I do!!!

I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT!!!!

I know how to get Kamryn to make a normal smile! Monday we went to Wal-Mart and she wore this really cute outfit (with the white beenie of course!) and so I decided to take a picture of her. She wasn't smiling "normal" (shock of all shockers!) so as if a light came down from heaven above I thought to myself, "she has a cute laughing smile, I'll get her to tell me a joke!" (she is in the "joke telling" phase especially knock-knock jokes - she can come up with some doosies!!) She laughs at the end of it and this is what I got out of her!!

I love these kind of pictures....

Alright, now to today...Jerry's parents are driving to Florida tomorrow to spend some time with Nathan and Julie (I SO wish we could go with them...not the right time right now though...). Kamryn and I went to pick up Daisy (our "old" dog...I miss her - she's a good dog!) to stay with us until they get back after Easter.

When we got here I left Daisy in the car so that I could go in the house and get Janie - I didn't know how she would react to Daisy in "her domain" and I'm glad I did because she did a little "tinkling" when she saw Daisy...not sure what that was all about. Daisy, of course, went straight to our bedroom and has been under the bed ever since....

Now, we are waiting on Jerry to get home. I am going to make "Shepherd's Pie" tonight...doesn't that sound great?

A dress for Katie Rae

2009-03-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

I have gone back and forth on this but I finally decided I would go ahead and post it...Jerry, Kamryn and Janie have fallen asleep on the couch watching the Science Channel (that-a girl!) so I have the time! Janie is actually asleep beside me on the love seat - Kam fell asleep on top of Jerry - it's quite funny!! EVERYONE is snoring!! HA!!

So, back in December I had a customer who wanted to do a "trade of service" instead of paying with money. She makes really cute bows so of course I agreed!! To see her work click here. She makes hair bands but they really don't work with Kamryn now that she has hair. She had a really cute black and white one and I automatically thought of our friends and one of our deacons Gregory & Jordan's unborn baby girl, Katie Rae. I included this one in the "trade". I thought I could make a really cute dress to go with it and I could give it to her in lieu of flowers when she has baby girl!! Well, Jordan is going in tomorrow to have a scheduled c-section and I had to get to it!!! Yesterday I finished it and thought I would share the pictures with you...hopefully Jordan is NOT reading this yet!!

It turned out REALLY cute...I LOVE the long sleeves! It's 100% cotton so she'll be able to wear in the Spring and then in the fall she'll be able to wear it as a shirt with a cute pair of jeans!!! I LOVE the black and white print - I'm thinking about going back to Hobby Lobby and getting some more fabric for myself a skirt!! CUTE!!

SOOooooo, without further adieu here it is:

(The camera was a little lopsided - not the dress...)

Yes, I know, it's a little creepy having a doll modeling for me but I don't have a newborn model (yet...ahem Katie Rae....)

I hope you like it - I sure do!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Just a quick little post...

2009-03-11T11:21:00.000-05:00

I have just enough time for a quick little post...busy bee!!

First off, be praying for my Mom. She had knee surgery back in January and thought everything was fine - she had even stopped taking the blood thinner the doc had prescribed (the normal 6 weeks). Her back has been bothering her and had an appointment with a back doctor yesterday. Over the weekend the leg she had her knee surgery on was so swollen and hard that she said you could have bounced a quarter off it!! She told the doctor about it and of course he was concerned!

He sent her to the hospital to stay over night and quickly gave her a shot of coumadin (spelling?)...she has TWO blood clots in her leg...that is SO scary to me!! Be praying for me too...

It looks as if she will be in the hospital for the rest of the week...which is the best place for her!!

NOW...for some good news! I have completed another dress!!! I took a picture of it on my iPhone so the lighting isn't that great but isn't it just the cutest!!!!

It's for my friend Jordan's (not yet born) baby girl, Katie Rae!! (Come to the light Katie Rae)!! It's a full moon tonight so I'm hoping she goes in to labor!!

We have a wedding here at the church on the 21st for her cousin (our friend's too) Clint & Ashley - YAY!!! Ashley has picked brown and cream for her colors...SO pretty!!! It's going to be the cutest wedding ever! She has called it "Sophisticated Hillbilly"! Cracks me up!

At the reception they are using mason jars with jute around it for flower vases - CUTE!!!!

Soooo, back to the dress....because the wedding is brown and cream and you would never be able to find a brown AND cream dress for a newborn (let alone afford it if you DID find it!!) I volunteered to make one for baby girl! And....here it is!!!

I just hope she is born before the 21st!!! Her due date was finally set to the 19th - it has been back and forth - so who knows!

On another note, we finally got some rain today I hope it washes all the pollen away - I still seem to be sneezing...that's the only thing I don't like about Spring!! I just love all the green and all the flowers!!!

I hope you all have a great day!!!!

A year ago...and Spring cleaning

2009-03-10T11:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday as I was starting on my "Spring Cleaning" I had plans to get on here and share with you how sad we were all this past weekend but I couldn't find a stopping point. Do you know what I mean? This past weekend a year ago we were in Florida!!

Jerry and I kept saying this weekend, "You know where we were this time last year?". It was so terribly sad thinking back to the wonderful time we had in Florida! It was a MUCH needed vacation and I am SO glad we had a chance to go!! Especially finding out later in the year that Nathan (Jerry's brother) and Julie are going to be moving closer to Arkansas!! YAY!!! They had lived in Florida for 3 years before we had the chance to go visit them!!!

We had decided to drive (I believe it was a 16 hour drive - not including stops...) to Florida. We were going to leave EARLY on Friday morning. But God had other plans - the weather forecast was for SNOW all Thursday night!!! My Mom-in-law was going with us and had already come over to stay the night so when Jerry called us to say we were going THAT NIGHT Debbie and I were running around the house trying to get the rest of our stuff packed up! (I'm a last minute packer of sorts...you never know what will change with your plans...I guess that's a good reason to get it done earlier too)

Anyway, we managed to get everything together and finally decided (for sure-Jerry was back and forth on the issue) to leave that night and see how far we could get out of Arkansas. We managed to get all the way to Ruston, LA. We rented a room and stayed there for the night! Kamryn got her first experience with a shower by herself (don't ask me what I was thinking...) She SCREAMED so loud I decided to jump in there with her so she would have some kind of security because the child HAD to have a cleaning!! I have never heard of a hotel room NOT having a bath - just a shower - we didn't know that we were suppose to ask for a bath!!

The snow ended up being a blessing in disguise because we were able to drive ALL the way to Nathan and Julie's house in Melbourne, FL that Friday!!!

Our lovely neighbors that watch our house for us when we are gone took some really great pictures of the snow but I looked ALL over the house for that CD and could NOT find it!! UGH!!! I had a great idea to show you a before/after (or a "what was happening at our house when we were in sunny Florida"!!!) kind of deal but alas, that is not possible!!!

This lovely little notebook kept the irritation of being in a car seat for 16 hours to a minimum!! (LIFESAVER!!!!!) I just love the sunglasses!!! And I just HATE that paci in her mouth!!! (We ended up getting rid of that later in the summer!!!! (Thankfully!! I had visions of her going to Kindergarten with it!!!)

That Sunday we went to the beach - Kamryn's first time and it was COLD!!!! She and I got slammed by a wave which made our trip much too short!!!

That Monday our little family went to DisneyWorld which was just an hour drive from Nathan and Julie's house. This is Kamryn and I on the ferry boat to go to Magic Kingdom. A rare shot of me looking fairly good but of course Kam's not looking at the Kamryn and that darn paci is in her mouth!!!

CINDERELLA'S CASTLE!!!!!!!!!

This picture is SO sad to look at...I wish we were there now!!!

Our lovely little family with Mickey Mouse!!! I LOVE that Kamryn is holding his hand!!!

I wish Kamryn was looking at the camera in this one...we used this for her birthday invitations.

She is smiling here but she was really afraid of Pluto. That night we believe she had a nightmare about the darn dog!! She woke up crying (rare thing for her) but she was able to go back to sleep!

We spent most of the time in line because we didn't understand the whole "fast pass" thing...the next day when Jerry and I went back by ourselves it really helped!! I would strongly suggest you take part in this wonderful thing if you ever get the chance to go to DisneyWorld - it's included in your ticket into the park!". But don't worry Kamryn had a great time in line people watching...she is so like me it's scary!!!

Sad but true, good things usually do come to an end.

On the trolley back to our car...she looks so tired and sad to leave!!!

In the car back to Melbourne :(

Eating a little snack - yes, Jerry was a sucker and bought her a balloon - which came all the way back with us (in the car) to Arkansas!! LOVELY!!!!

She also, got a Pooh Bear...she's not at all spoiled on this trip!!! ;)

We had to call MaMaw (my Mom) to tell her where we had been!!

The second day Jerry and I went back - Epcot and Hollywood studios this time while MeMe and Kamryn stayed back with Julie and the girls - she didn't miss out on the fun!!!

Me about to go on the "tower of terror" - lovely picture!

Jerry acting silly too...

I LOVE this ride!!!!

Emma and Kamryn playing that evening - I can't believe how much a kid can grow in a year!!

The girls playing with MeMe in the front yard!!

Epcot Center

The pictures are out of order but I don't feel like messing with them anymore...

Jerry and I went to a "drive-in Sci-Fi" restaurant - I can't remember the name of it...but it was really fun! Our waiter was insane but nice enough to take a picture of us!!!

Mexico in Epcot...

I weigh ten pounds lighter now!! YIPPEE (I just had to throw that in there! HA!!)

Modeling Mickey ears!

The Mickey Ears we bought Kamryn - look at the camera Kamryn!!!

Well, it was fun reminiscing with you, although I'm just a little more sad that I am not in Florida!!! There are loads more pictures that I could have shared but I don't have the time to load them...just believe me - it was a GREAT time!! We will make it back sometime but right now, we'll just look at the pictures and reminisce!!

Yesterday I was able to get the living room, hall and my sewing room carpets shampooed/steam cleaned!! YAY! They look great although I'm sure they could use some more cleaning!!!! I think I had 5 or 6 buckets of black sludge every time I emptied it! (Gross I know!!) But I guess that's what happens after a long winter and you haven't steamed cleaned the floor all that time!!!

Kamryn was in a HORRIBLE mood yesterday and finally agreed to a nap after I agreed to lie down with her (I think I slept for 30 minutes yay!) but I found out why I stopped letting her take naps - she didn't go to sleep until 10:30 and that was after Jerry told me to put her in our bed!!! I truly hate doing that! I was once told, "Don't start something you don't want to make a habit out of it..." Good advice!

Well, I guess I need to get something done so we can go outside and play. It's still nice out and we are suppose to be getting a cold front here tonight - better get out while I can! But I'm sure we'll come in pretty quickly - this pollen is kicking our butt's!!!! Even the dog has an allergy to the pollen! (That's always great, an English Bulldog with allergies!)

I hope you have a great day!!! If I get a chance I want to get back on here and show you the last dress I made...it is SO cute!!!

Cancersucks easter basket giveaway!!!

2009-03-09T16:45:00.001-05:00

Cancersucks is having her first give-away, and I know you all will fall in love with it! It's this beautiful Lilly easter basket. Visit her blog for your chance to win this gorgeous prize.

I'm unable to get a picture of the basket...but trust me, it's cute!!!

Lovely Little Photo shoot!

2009-03-06T23:42:00.000-06:00

Well, we had a successful photo shoot!! And the winner is.....

Couldn't you just eat her up?! I love the above picture!! That smile - come on - beautiful!!!

Showing off her FIRST pair of flip-flops!!! ($7.50 @ your local friendly Wal-Mart Supercenter!) I secretly wish I had a pair of my own! They're silver and sparkly!!!

This is my Peasant style pillowcase dress by the way...I LOVE it! It's made from a vintage pillowcase!

Poor child, she is trying to model for Mommy!!

When we got back in the house I asked her if she had fun being Mommy's little model. She scrunched up her face and said, "I'm not a mod-dul, I'm a gurl! I'm Kam-man!"

By this point in the day she had enough of modeling!

This is another Peasant style pillowcase - shirt.

I believe I'll sit Mommy...

Yep, she's tired!!! (Beautiful shot of the stain glass windows of our church - which by the way I just realized I didn't mention the name of on my first blog - it's NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH!!)

I need to brag on my husband and I guess really on myself! (Hee Hee)!!
A little story on the pink shirt Kamryn is wearing: The first time she wore it Jerry asked if I had made it - does he really need to ask this? Probably not - but it flatters me none the less!!
Anyway, I told him yes, in fact I had!! (can you tell I'm proud of myself! HA!) Now, this is rare for him to say so but he said, "I REALLY like that! You did good!". It's not rare for him to say he likes something, it's just rare that he would comment on Kamryn's clothes...unless he REALLY doesn't like it!
Of course he boost up her ego on Sunday mornings right before going to church. He'll say, "Kamryn, you look SO pretty in your dress!"
You should see her smile up to her Daddy...SO precious!
I'm glad that he thinks enough to tell her this! We try not to brag on outward beauty because we don't want her to think that it's all that matters but come on ladies, it is REALLY nice to be told you look pretty! Right?! It is!! And then to here it from your Daddy is EVEN better!!! I hope her Daddy is her #1 for the rest of her life!!! I feel bad for her future husband he has BIG shoes to feel!!! (By the way, I pray for that boy everyday...that's important - just thought I would put that out to you...)

Anyway, it's late...I'm tired...been a busy day...need to go to bed!!!!

Starting off...

2009-03-05T18:44:00.000-06:00

Our most recent "Family picture" - this was taken on our after Christmas trip to Branson @ Silver Dollar City on the train...taken from my iPhone (31st birthday present from my lovely husband - he felt sorry for me - 31 was a hard one for me!!!)

Same day...Kam & me...

same day - waiting for the train - Kam and her daddy!

this was taken (obviously in the car) after she picked out her Christmas present with the money from her Great-Grandma Liz (Bill's mom) from San Antonio. Kamryn LOVES her farm animals from Atwood's!!

Kamryn and Lady Jane Grey (the 9 day queen of England) "Janie" she looks mean here but I was squatting down taking this picture and she thought it was playtime!! This is Kamryn's first time wearing her ballerina outfit from Aunt Angie!! She LOVES it - wears it ALL the time!!!

After church one day - wearing one of my pillowcase dresses (long sleeve t-shirt underneath)

First off, I have to share something funny that happened this morning. (Just an example of how funny our little girl is -- SO funny and SO Kamryn!!)
I scoop out our, scratch that, Jerry's English bulldog Janie...isn't she beautiful - insert sarcasm...seen below @ Christmas (beautiful Christmas tree in the background we don't keep it up year round! HA!) I digress....back to the story...

I scoop out Janie's dog food in the morning, hand it off to Kamryn to then hand or rather place on the floor for the dog to eat. (Chain of command: Mommy, Kamryn and THEN Janie - trying to teach Kamryn responsibility and Janie that she is a DOG in fact and Kamryn is WAY more important than she is! HA!!) SO, I do this and tell Kamryn, "Thank you!" (trying to teach her manners - yes, they are STILL important people!!!) to which I receive the reply, "Just doing my job! You're welcome!". WHAT!!!! did my 2 1/2 (3 in May) year old girl just say that! The girl cracks me up!!!

SO.....here I am, starting a blog for goodness sakes! Can you believe it?! I sure can't! I thought, "everyone else is doing it, why not me?!"

I will never begin to tell you I am a "profound" writer. I just thought this would be a good way to journal my thoughts while I still have them! I used to be oh, SO good at remembering things but on May 23, 2006 when I gave birth to little Miss Diva a.k.a. Kamryn Grace Holland, slowly my brain cells have diminished significantly!!! I thought I would be the kind-of mother that had it "all together" but no ma'am, not even close!!! Her baby book is hardly even written in! GASP! Yes, It is true...I am a failure! HA!

To catch everyone up on my life so far: I married Jerry Holland on April 27, 2002. Can you hardly believe we have been married for SEVEN years!! Crazy!! He is a Southern Baptist Pastor of a wonderful church in little bitty Pine Grove, Arkansas. We have been here for six years (in February) and couldn't be happier with the spiritual growth we are experiencing here! God is SO great and I just stand back and watch the amazing things he is doing in my life!
Back in the fall of 2008 I started a little "boutique" where I make mainly pillowcase dresses (three variations, the standard, the sundress style and the peasant dress style), named "Lovely Little Flowers". (also the name of my blog) {little side note: I just want to "vent" some MAN of all things had already taken the URL of lovelylittleflowers.blogspot so I had to make mine lovelylittleflowers212.blogspot - can't believe it! HA}.

Here are some examples:

My FAVORITE and the most recent:

The Peasant style (this was made from an actual "vintage" pillowcase!)

The sundress style - I like this style too - real sweet for summer!! But I believe (without the ruffle detail, your girl could put a long sleeve t-shirt under it for fall...still as versatile as the "original" pillowcase dress...)

AND...the "ORIGINAL" pillowcase style!! The below picture was for one of my close friend's (Meagan-Marie - from CCA high school) daughter, Ryne. I LOVE this valentine dress!!! - to see it on Ry-Ry click HERE

Another one I made for Ryne - looks like she is the only one I make dresses for - HA!!

Click HERE to see Ryne rocking in out!!!

Why, Lovely Little Flowers you ask?

Song of Solomon 2:12 "The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land."

My "theme" verse for my business...The reason I picked Song of Solomon 2:12?

My husband and I love all the romantic scriptures in the whole book of Song of Solomon but this one is special to us because we used it in our wedding invitations 7 years ago...the whole reason I have a beautiful daughter and the reason I started this whole roller coaster called pillowcase dresses!!! LOL!!!

Anyway, that kind-of catches you up on my life, here I am, take me or leave me...if you want me to update you on any new blogs send me an email and I'll let you know!

Oh, I guess I probably could have done a little better on my "first" blog but for goodness sakes there is a LOT to do around here...it's going to be 80 degrees here today we need to get outside and play and maybe a little photoshoot with the new dresses and shirt I made Kamryn!! I just thought I would get this "first" one out of the way!!!

Take care!!