finished 2 pretty cool wreaths

can you guess what these wreaths are made out of???

Plastic Table Cloths!!

total cost.. under 10. :)



all you do is cut strips of the table cloth & tie them on to a wire wreath frame.
i used a frame that had 4 circles to it. i ended up using only the 1st and 3rd. was going to do the
4th too to make it really full... but...it takes a long time and frankly i'm ready to get to
decorating my house. i think they still look great!

i'm sad to give both away :( kidding. but i want to make one for us too.. time needs to slow!

sharing thanksgiving crafts

Some crafty Thanksgiving items.....


a Thanksgiving centerpiece for our family like hosts
it looked pretty when lit!






Garrett made this :)











Addie being crafty with colors and glitter! (lots of glitter.)

Our Thankful tree.... i really love this tradition.








Addie and Lucas... birthdays are days apart and Man! can you tell!
they seem to be the male/female versions of each other. they have so much fun together! they are just Crazy together! They decorated this gingerbread house together after Thanksgiving dinner. A single person could have designed their house because it was so similar on each side... LOTS of candy which they Dove into!! ............ Garrett and Kaden designed their house very organized with very straight lines.... can
you tell they are oldest kids??









Not crafty.. but super cute boy !

a wedding show

this year for our anniversary we had a sick Garrett. going to reno for a dinner out wasn't really an option. if you do not know, Fernley, NV is a small town. small in that it has NO where to eat aside from fast food, casinos, and a decent family owned taco place. still, i wasn't up for cooking so we got pizza from our favorite pizza place (it's freshly made & you take it home to cook.. so technically i did cook.) Garrett, who started feeling a little more like himself in the afternoon, had gone into planning mode with Addie. They decided they were going to do a Wedding Show for our anniversary after dinner. They also decided we needed cookies for dessert (ok, i'm in!)

the romantic table was set.
Matt supplied the beautiful flowers.
Garrett supplied the decor... love the helmets.




We could barley finish our pizza before the entertainment was set to begin. In fact, Addison told us we had to stop eating and watch the wedding show and then we could go back to dinner. Girl on a mission.


Garrett says "This is what happened 9 years ago when you got married." "ching ching ching" ("those are church bells")

Addison walks down the pillow isle. notice her yellow flower bouquet.


addie... will you marry me???
"yeah. can i see the ring??"





"Yay!"




An adorable wedding show guest.




really, it doesn't get better than this.
today.. is love.

9 years

9 years we've been married! kind of hard to believe. so much about our marriage has shaped me and changed me. i am not the girl i was 9 years ago. for the better i believe.
.... i would have never guessed that I would be able to say that
i've lived in 4 states and 6 houses
i've traveled to hawaii, across the country, and to Japan!
i've become flexible... i willow if you will (as JW used to say in grad school when i was so much more so an Oak).
i've become a Griffin in the "laid back, 'on time' is an option, less serious than i ever was" kind of way
i've learned (learning) to be independent. to make it through 8 months with only God sustaining me.
i've learned that there are not "wife or husband" duties when he is deployed. i've handled some
exceptional situations.. and i can say i'm proud of me! also, i'm happy to hand back over those "husband duties" :)
i've started the journey of being a wife.
i've started the journey of being a mommy.

so i'm not the same girl that said "i do" 9 years ago. i like me better each day because of my wonderful husband... i love our little life.

3 loves of today

you know the days you just feel so blessed... love those days.

i love my kiddos... 3 different personalities. 3 versions of some combo (for good or bad) of me & matt. i love each one of their infectious laughs!

i love my husband. today we went out for a while in the afternoon. used a living social voucher for massages. i love that site & groupon too. a great way to treat yourself.. and get a deal!

i love my God. i just love to see His hand in the little things. and i'm talking way way little. too insignificant to go into here. but it blessed me big time and definitely worth praising Him for it!


they actually thought they would sleep like this!








* what do you love today? *

a short blurb of thanks

thanksgiving, for me, was always the same..very predictable. that is until our first as a married military couple. ever since it is anything but predictable. and you know what? i like it that way. Thanksgiving has really become one of my most favorite days of the year. it's not that i'm against tradition, not completely anyway. but something about a different arena and different company each year has opened me and my kids (i hope) to a welcoming heart of pure thankfulness. it's one of the aspects of our military life that i dearly love. ...

*we have adopted and have been adopted.
*we have spent the day with old friends, new friends, as well as with family.
*there has been many at the table.. or tables. and there has been just a few.
*we spent one quietly by ourselves.
*we have been at two of our homes, the home of dear friends, the home of extended family and even two different mountain destinations.
*we only spent one without any kiddos. (the first one with G was also the first night he slept all night.. i was so rested that thanksgiving! it didn't last. :( )
*we have spent one missing a huge part of our family, while giving thanks for our freedom.
*we spent one determined to laugh and enjoy with friends.. just days before we had to part for the rest of the holiday season.

it's never been the same. each year i am so grateful for the chance to spend a day of thanks with people we love and that support us.
********************
might i also add that i give extra thanks to any year that we have not actually hosted the event :) i love to gather.. but the stress of the meal and the timing and the house is a bit much for me. it's not pretty. admittedly, i need to work on that. assign me some sides. a pretty centerpiece. and i'm a much happier turkey!

yellow stones christmas surprise

i'm fading fast here... i finished a crazy busy week & swore this one would be relaxing. so though i'm not done with what i wanted to accomplish... i think i'm going to turn in for the night anyway.

but first i wanted to jot down this cute little, warm my heart Garrett story.

my thoughtful guy. tenderhearted. caring. .... especially to his mama.

tonight i took him shopping with me. now when i say "shopping" let's be clear. Fernly, NV is not a mecca for sales. nor is Fallon, NV. Still, i was convinced that one of these small town would have what i need so i don't have to go "to the city" or "into town" to get my single supply to finish my latest project. what is it? oh you know, something extremely rare... a silver plastic tablecloth. yep, that's it. $1.26 and worth every penny (wait till you see the finished project!)

alas, neither town seems to enjoy the metallic silver tablecloths as i was hoping so soon i will have to "go to town". we don't have many stores to pick from so the dollar tree was at the top of my list for Fallon. Garrett, who came with me to keep me company, thought the name "Dollar Tree" was silly. It doesn't, after all, Look like a tree. so as we are walking in i was explaining to him what the name actually meant.

"what? everything in here is a dollar?? wow. we should come here more often." Great. what have i introduced him to?! my little craft buddy was so excited with all of the "pretty" Christmas finds in there... for only a dollar. i let him pick out one thing. how could i not? and he actually did not fail to impress. he picked a large clear snowflake.. to which he said "this will be great with some glitter on it". (is he MY child or what!) it's perfect for the playroom, i thought too.

He just had to walk all over the store.. take it all in i guess. he found some glass stones (again, things i love to use) and he was like "daddy is going to Have to bring me back here"
"why" i ask.
"because i just got an idea for a christmas present. it's a surprise so don't ask. it's for you"
it took more than what is probably deemed "normal" for me not to ask questions, knowing that if i did... he would spill. but.. i held it in.
then he said "no never mind. they don't have what i want. these won't work"

i prodded a bit... asking what he needed.
a different shape. a different color.
i said we could check them out at our next stop because i thought walmart would have them.

as we were walking in to WM, he reminded me. and we checked them out. they had more than the dollar tree, however still not what he was imagining. he told me ... "i need yellow. i think these swirl ones would work?? but i think i want to check michael's first and then decide."

i kissed his head and just laughed. i told him that we could not go to michael's tonight since it's in reno.. but i will be there soon and we will look. then he asked if i was excited to see my surprise. "yes buddy, that will drive me nuts till Christmas because i can't wait to see what you make for me. "

the kid that gets his inspiration in the dollar tree and then decides 2 stores don't have what is necessary & we need to take a trip "to town".............. this IS sounding familiar, right? :)