Tori's Bachelorette Party

My sister, Tori's bachelorette party was the past weekend at the Ross Bridge Resort and Spa in Birmingham. We had a very nice dinner in a private dining room at the hotel, and then had a lingerie shower for her afterwards. I had to come home afterwards and didn't get to spend the night. The next day they went to the spa and lounged by the pool. You can see more pictures from the weekend on her blog.

toriandbryan.blogspot.com


Georgia was heartbroken that she couldn't come to the party. I had to explain to her that it was for "big girls." She sent Tori her little pig (see it sitting in front of Tori in the picture) and notes for all of Tor's friends. I had to pass out the notes and the pig had a place of honor at dinner. The first thing she asked when she woke up the next morning was if I gave Tori the pig and passed out her notes. Sweet Georgie!

Tori's friend Kenzie gave Tori this racy little french maid outfit from Victoria's Secret. It was so funny to see Tori blush!!!

Little Artists

Art has always been something I loved. One of my earliest memories is of me sitting on our front porch with one of my Child Craft books drawing the illustration to "Rock-A-Bye Baby." I vividly remember looking at the picture of the baby bassinet swinging from a tree and thinking, "I know I can draw that." In college, I had to take many art electives in the interior design curriculum. (I was only three credits away from having a minor in art.) I hoped my children would love to draw or paint like I did. I have enjoyed watching them experiment with painting. I've never pushed them to do it, I want them to want to do it. They see me painting so much that they naturally want to paint as well.

I usually paint while Jack is napping, but the other day I had so much to do, I painted while he was awake. He asked if he could paint a picture. Luckily I had an extra 8"x10" canvas I let him have. He showed me the colors he wanted and I would squirt some on the canvas. He would paint, and then show me another color. I thought he did a wonderful job with his color selection. He was drawn to the primary colors. This was his first time to paint, and his painting matches his bedroom. I am going to paint his name and the date on it and hang it in his bedroom.

Georgie likes to paint, but I think she prefers drawing. She drew this picture for me the other day. She said it was me, her and Daniel. I asked her why she didn't draw Daddy and Jack, and she quickly replied, "Jack is asleep and Daddy is at work." The cross collage is one she made at church a few weeks ago, and the wooden car she painted for Jack. She saw a box of unfinished cars in Wal-Mart and asked if she could get one to paint for Jack. She worked very hard on it while he was napping one day, and gave it to him when he woke up. It fits perfectly on his Thomas the Train tracks and he loves to play with it.

My birthday was last week, and my sweet Daddy painted this painting for me. I'd like to think I might have gotten a tenth of his talent. Michael had taken a picture of the tower at the radio station one morning at sunrise. Daddy took the picture and painted it for me. It was such a nice surprise, and it is by far my favorite he has done thus far.

Out of Gas

Things got really quiet in Jack's room, so I went to see what he was up to. I found the little guy had run out of gas....

Peanut Butter Pie

As many of you may know, cooking is not one of my specialties. I get by, but it isn't something that comes easy for me. I saw this recipe on Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade a few months ago, and decided Georgia, Jack and I would make it for Michael for Father's Day. I had to share, because it was so yummy and EASY!! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pie

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

1 (8 oz.) tub whipped topping (Cool Whip)

Ice Cream Topping (Magic Shell)

1 Cookie Pie Crust (Oreo)

In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients with a hand mixer. Gently fold in whipped topping; pour into prepared crust and freeze for 2 hours. Once frozen, drizzle with ice cream topping and re-freeze for 20 minutes. Thaw slightly before serving.

Georgia Anne and Jack helped with the pie. After licking the beater, Georgia disappeared. Jack on the other hand, licked everything! He licked the beater, spatula, the mixing bowl and the Cool Whip lid. I must say, Jack really enjoyed the pie!

A New Pool

Michael and I got the kids a new pool with a slide this weekend. They played on it Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The best thing about it is the long naps that come afterwards! They had so much fun sliding and splashing. Michael and I even went down the slide a few times (I will spare you the pictures of me...since this is my blog, I have the right to be selective in my photo choices). Daniel got his feet wet a few times, but mainly sat in his bouncy seat in the shade watching and taking it all in. Jack also wanted to show off his new swimsuit with the built in life jacket. Safety first at the Butler household...even in 6 inches if water!

New Items at Georgie Girl Design

I have been really busy lately with my painting business, Georgie Girl Design. I thought I'd share a few of the new things I have been working on. You can click on the links below the pictures to see the rest on the items in each collection. I also have several new posts besides these with new items!!

Monogram/Family Name CanvasesClick here to see the rest of the items in this collection.




Canvas Panel Photo Frames
Click here to see the rest of the items in this collection.

Back Yard Bible Study

We went to our first Back Yard Bible Study Tuesday morning. We meet every other Tuesday for a Bible story, craft, snack and fun in the sun! This summer's theme is "Let's Go Fishing for Jesus." This is open to anyone who would like to come. If you would like to participate, e-mail me and I'll give you all the information. We'd love to have you join us. The next Bible study will be Tuesday, June 30th at 10:00 here at our house.

Front: Jack, Georgia Anne, Taylor, Colin, Caleb, Brady, Brody, Anna, Nathan, Daniel Back: Emma Kate, Jordan, Jackson, and Carter

Brady, Caleb and Georgia Anne

Nathan and Daniel

Robin reading the Bible story: A Net Full of Fish (John 21: 1-4)



Playing on the swing


Jack and Carter blowing bubbles

Jack enjoying his snack


Georgie playing on the swing



Week One Bible Verse:
"The Lord is my strength and my shield: my heart trust in Him, and I am helped."
Psalm 28:7

Moving On

You might remember my post about Jack and his lawn mower. He always pushes it down the back alley when we walk P.J. Well, now he is on to bigger and better things....pushing Daniel. He will not let us touch the stroller. He has to do it by himself. Sometimes he veers off the path and needs a little assistance, but he quickly lets you know he doesn't need any help!

Sweet Moments

One of the best things about being a mommy is seeing sweet moments between your children. I try to etch these memories in my brain forever, so when they are grown I can remember them. One day while in the car, Georgia and Jack were in the back giggling and laughing. They weren't "doing" anything or saying anything. They would just look at each other and giggle. Then I saw Georgia lean over and kiss Jack right on the lips. The look on his little face was priceless! It is in these moments that all the hard work of parenting comes full circle. I am so THANKFUL I am a stay-at-home-mom who gets to see all these sweet moments.

Operation Baby Bird

Today when Michael was leaving the radio station, he found a little baby bird on the sidewalk. He looked for the mama, but didn't see or hear her. The poor little thing was squawking for his mother and trying to fly. He doesn't appear to be hurt, just not quite ready to fly yet. So, Michael having a soft heart for any animal, finds a box and brings him home. Georgia and Jack were very interested in the bird. He helped them find an old bird nest in one of the trees in the yard to put in the box. We got on the internet and researched what to do.

While we were on the computer, Michael noticed a bird outside on the fence. The baby was still chirping in the box, and this bird was coming to his rescue. It was the sweetest thing seeing this bird tend to the baby. Well, we decided we needed to feed him and give him some water. As suggested by the sites we found, we found him several slugs and fed him with tweezers. Then we gave him water to drink from an eyedropper. We'll keep you posted on his progress. He is almost ready to fly, so hopefully in a few days he'll be on his way!

The bird who came to his rescue