So Much To Catch Up On...

Hello Everyone! I know, I know, it has been forever and a day since I posted. Believe me, I have plenty of very good reasons why. The last 4 months have been absolute madness! I built a home, with the help of my good friend Mike Hawkins; I landscaped an entire subdivision (The Cascades - where the house I built is); I helped design a cascading waterfall and a sign for the subdivision entry; I helped to plan and execute a Grand Opening for the subdivision; I designed a Fall Wreath selection for our company H&H Design; and the beginnings of our Christmas Wreath selection (which we showed at MeMe's Stonecroft Luncheon). I did all this while being a wife and mother and everything that comes with that.

The only thing that I can say at this point is: I've lost a lot of weight, I'm proud of the work that I've done, I've managed to keep my hair (which usually would have fallen out over the stress), my beautiful baby girl Reese is walking, and my husband is an amazing partner who supported me through it all and still seems to love me. All in all, it's been an experience, and I've survived.

I'm going to put several slideshows up going over what has happened in our lives since we last talked. Halloween 2010 is here too! Enjoy!


Reese had a little Halloween party at her daycare - So, daddy and I helped
her eat some cupcakes.

3 New Posts

Hello Everyone! Just wanted to put a small note to tell you to scroll down - I have 3 new posts. Didn't want you to miss them!

Memorial Day Weekend

We have been blessed with our great friends - The Hawkins Family - Mike, Shawna, Saylor, Kipper, and Gracie. We spent much of our weekend with their bunch. On Memorial Day, Kyle and I attempted to cook for them - I attempted my dad's rice dressing recipe (which was to die for when he made it) which turned out way too soggy and mushy when I made it. Wanted to keep it moist, but went too far... Oh well. Otherwise we BBQ'ed and swam. It was a really good day. Reese had a great time and so did the Hawkins kids...

As you can see, we also made it the day of summer hair cuts. I bought a set of Wahl clippers and got to work on Mike and Kyle's not so full heads of hair. They both turned out great!

Family Photo Shoot

We were blessed to get this photo shoot in before I lost my dad. 2 weeks before actually. These were the first family photos we have taken since the late 1980's. So glad we got them in...

Catching Up... Reese playin'

Happy Hot Summer Everyone. We have had an eventful month or so since our last posts. I have a few slideshows to share.... so, here's the first one.

Easter Photo Shoot

Last but not least - We had a little photo shoot later in the day on Saturday after our Easter at Meme and Vern's. It was completely impromtu, but we were able to get some really great photos of Reese - so glad we did this. Here ya go...

Easter Weekend with the Family

We had a great Easter weekend with our family. Unfortunately, Reese wasn't quite old enough to particpate in all the Easter festivities, but it was really fun watching little Brady as he hunted for his Easter eggs (with a lot of help from the crowd ;-) Reese remained fairly cranky throughout the weekend, but we all tried to make the most of it; and I know she had a great time. We hated that she couldn't meet her cousing Eli, but maybe we'll see him soon.

Reese's 1st Birthday

Aunt Donna to the Rescue!!! Reese's birthday was a wonderfully beautiful day, except for the wind. Of course, we had chosen to have the party at the Prien Lake Park. The wind was the worst that I had experienced in a very long time - there was really no hope to have a normal party outside. Aunt Donna showed up and saved the day!! We moved the party to her house and all was wonderful. Reese had a great time, save for a little crankiness. Thank you all for your wonderful gifts!! Here's a slideshow of all the pics we got from the day.

We're Still Here!

We know it has been a while. Life is one busy place to be. Here are some recent photos of Reese - some hanging out with her Poppa - some playing with her Lola.

H&H Designs - Mardi Gras Wreaths

H&H Designs!! Mom and I have stumbled into a new business for ourselves. Looks like we are now H&H Designs - Custom Wreath Makers, etc. We received one request for a Mardi Gras wreath after someone saw a few of the Christmas wreaths we made. This has snowballed into us designing 6 or more Mardi Gras wreaths, selling to a new Mardi Gras store in Lake Charles, and selling privately to anyone who will buy them. Crazy!! We also now have a request to design MG table centerpieces. Well, here are the designs. Let us know if you'd like to purchase anything - and please feel free to pass on the word about our work!

Better Late Than Never

So, I realize it has taken me FOREVER to post all of this, but I can't even explain how busy we have been.

To begin, here's a little slideshow of my christmas prep. I decided it would be a nice gesture to make platters of candy for a couple of the places that Kyle works at. These of course turned into huge aluminum pans full of candy because of the number of people it would feed. One place even got an extra tin because I couldn't fit everything into the roasting pan. Stupid, stupid girl, I know! I didn't want to see my stove for a while after this. Here's Reese, tired just from watching me.




Then we have Christmas morning at the Holmes house. Reese got her first Radio Flyer wagon. Although Reese is usually a morning person, she was not so impressed with Xmas morning. She opened a present or two and then went into the den to watch a movie while we finished up.





Next, we have Christmas Day at the Hanks Family. Reese was in a much better mood. She thoroughly enjoyed helping to unwrap her presents. She especially liked munching on the bows. We had a great day.




Finishing up our Christmas Edition, here are some pics of Reese on her first wagon ride. She LOVES it.