Day.Thirty.Four.B.

*Two*Peas*In*A*Pod*

Michelle's baby shower was RIGHT after the baptism. I am uploading the pictures from the shower. I was in charge of decorations, cake, and cupcakes. I think that it all turned out wonderfully! It looked great and the twins are going to be well dressed, diapered, and spoiled. Special thanks to Laurienne for helping with the decor! :)

Here are the details: 

 Cupcake/Cake Tower

 A Bit Closer...

 *New Cupcake Stand*

 Yummy!

 Two Peas <3

 -Sign In Table- 

 Frame, BABIES, Advice Cards/Jars, and Banner Fun

 Gift Table

-Homemade Banner: Two Peas In A Pod- 

 Close up...

 -Table Setting-

 Frozen Peas in the Jar (just a fun touch)

 Place Setting with Cake Pop Pea Favor :)

 *TWO PEAS*

 -Cupcakes-

 Cake Topper

 Family at the Shower

 Momma<3

*Best Friends*

If you have any questions about how anything was made or where it was found, let me know and I will be sure to contact you via comment on how! Many things were inspired by pinterest... of course.. :)

Off to start my spring break... with a nap!

-Alexis-

Day.Thirty.Four.A.

THE DAY IS HERE! Bring it on!

Mia Grace and Zooey Claire were baptized this morning! It was such a blessing to see them starting their journey as Christians. Beautiful dresses, jewelry, family, and God. It was gorgeous... and they did a GREAT job! Check out a few of the pictures:

 <3Family<3

 The Bracelets I Made for the Girls

 Mia Grace... giving the stink eye...

 -Zooey Claire-

*Me and Papa:: He Smiled!*

::Surrounded by Family::

 With My Mia

-Double Duty-

Immediately after the baptism... BABY SHOWER!

So, I headed straight for the baby shower. Good thing my mom and sister were home and able to help me get all of the stuff to the shower. I will do a separate post about the shower. So many pictures to share! It turned out fabulous and the world is going to be blessed with two beautiful babies! I can't wait to meet them! Stay tuned for the shower update...

May God Bless Mia Grace and Zooey Claire! They are blessed already with wonderful parents and a loving family. <3

-Alexis-

Day.Thirty.Three.

Technically, I made it to the valley today (at 2am!). Then, I woke up and got straight to work on finishing the cake pops. The process went smoothly. Check out the results: 

(Two Peas in a Pod)

There were a few extra, so for the gathering that was taking place tonight, Alissa and Dena took matters into their own hands, and piped chocolate on them. Look how cute they look on my new cake stand!

After the cake pops were complete, off to Union Local to watch Courtney run. (little did my mom and I know that she is hurt... so she wasn't able to give 100%. She still ran faster than I could) Check her out!

 GO COURTNEY!!

(It is cold...ridiculously cold!)

Back to Alissa's to hang out and visit with family. Dena, Jeremiah, and Zooey were in town too! I am so glad I got to hang out with Zooey! Lydia helped me out with my gift of a baptism bracelet for the girls. Whew! It was a process.. Check out tomorrow's post for pictures!

Have a great night. 

-Alexis-

Day.Thirty.Two.

Let the baking begin!

I have so much respect and love for my sister-in-law Tiffany! She rocks! For the upcoming weekend, I had a lot of baking to do. Immediately after school, I headed to visit Tiff, and she helped me out.

Baking To Do List:
Cupcakes
Cupcake Decor
Cake
Cake Decor
Cake Pops (70)
and, for Pete: Add wood to the cake stand...

I WISH I would have taken a picture of the mess that we made in her kitchen. It was rather comical to see the amount of supplies and 'garbage' as we created and created. We got it all done, and were ready to fondant... then we looked at the container. I bought buttercream, not fondant. Not to be discouraged, we made our own marshmallow fondant (I think it was fabulous...tasted like a circus peanut!)

After six hours of baking and decorating... we are definitely ready for cupcake wars! I had to finish the cake pops on Saturday, but everything looks fabulous!!! Check out some sneak peeks:

(Cake Topper Preview)

I am so glad I have Tiffany in my life. She is so creative and we can definitely get lost in the 'craft'. When do we meet next Tiff?

-Alexis-

Day.Twenty.Eight.

Sunday. A Day of REST. (not so much...)

I got to sleep in and John made me eggs and toast! Yumm!

Then, it was off to get work done. I have a long list of things that need to get done. It is painful to look at!

First on the list, get things prepped for this weekend for the shower and for the baptisms. My goal today was to make a list of needed things as well as make the Easter basket filler for Mia and Zooey. I made it and had to blog! It is so cute, easy, and reusable! Perfect!
Here are the simple directions... pictures included:

1. Choose your fabric(s) <I used remnants>, pinking shears, and ribbon.

2. Cut the fabric with the pinking shears into pieces/strips. Mine were about 2.5 inches wide by 8 inches tall. (I just used the folds in the fabric to guide the scissors) They do not have to be perfect. Because I wanted the colors on both sides of the tie, I kept the fabric folded partially, so it was "two-sided".

3. String the ribbon (the length you want) between two chairs.

4. Start tying! I did just a single tie, then moved on. I did one color at at time to create the pattern. On my second one, I cut ALL of the fabric, and I just had to tie, tie, tie. It was easier to have it all cut then to tie.

 (yellow)

 (yellow and blue)

(yellow, blue and pink)

(yellow, blue, pink and green)

5. After all of the pieces are tied on, I spread them out and 'fluffed' them. They were still taught because of my tying, so I fluffed.

All Fluffy!!

6. Find a cute basket... (I only had this box, still cute) and lay it inside! Then, fill with goodies!!

I, personally, think they turned out super cute! 

**I think that this could be used in photos too... I made some for my favorite twins, so they might get to use them in their newborn pictures! :) **

Happy Crafting!
Off to do some more for the shower! <3

-Alexis

Day.Twenty.

Today started out EARLY! I got up, drove to Mechanicsburg, and hung out with family all day!

First, I got to watch Kerrigan play in her soccer game. She is proudly on the purple team, and started out as the goalie. It was fun to watch the intensity level and then it suddenly drop off (for all the kids) with about 3 minutes to go. They were ready for snack!

After the game...we headed to Wal-Mart. It is always an adventure, but add my sister and mom... double adventure. We were getting Wendy new curtains and some food. I was able to find GREAT remnant pieces for Mia Grace and Zooey Claire's Easter basket surprise! It is going to be perfect! (Pictures will come soon--pending completion) The colors are great, and I am excited to get started.

After Wal-Mart, we headed to the new apartment! I am happy that Wendy has a nice place to call home. The green paint in the bedroom.. NOT fun. The inspiration picture is beautiful and we got EVERYTHING accomplished. After three coats, the green was finally covered, the bed was up and dressed, the living room finished (complete with TV stand built by my mom and I) and the kitchen/dining came together great (without injury of course...) As Dale and I were flipping up the newly assembled table, the fold-down leaf did just that, fell down, on my hand. My thumb was instantly black and blue and in pain. I put ice on it... but it still hurts (I kept painting... and painting...)  With the move in complete on our end... John and I drove home. It is a pleasant drive with the windows down, country roads, and country music blasting!

Once I made it home, my hand was really hurting. So I am typing this with a bum left hand... impressed? So, I put my frozen veggies on my hand, and now it is time to relax. I will catch up tomorrow!

Oh, and by the way... HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! (thank you SJC for all of my green attire... no pinching here!)

-Alexis-

Day.Nineteen.

Friday, Friday, Friday! I love ending the week on a high note. My kids were excited for book buddies and the day just went nicely. The 75 degree weather helped too!

I got to see Shannon and Patrick today too! We got to have dinner after they scoured the city for places to live and places to work. I am excited to for their wedding and impending move to central Ohio! We will have more friends to hang out with...

After dinner, John and I headed to get some ice cream. Instead of buying one party pail... we bought TWO! Count them... two. We got a movie from redbox and we are ready to relax. Watching RED now.. Pretty good movie so far.

Tomorrow is going to be early. Off to help Wendy move to her new apartment and watch Kerrigan play some soccer!  Then home to clean up the house, throw open the windows, and relax.

Enjoy your night!

-Alexis-

Day.Eighteen.A

Today, I am writing EARLY! A few great things happened today:
1. I had my interview and I think it went pretty well.
2. After two weeks off, I worked out.

I want to thank all of those out there who were praying for me today. I was able to stay calm and focused.

I have fallen off the bandwagon on the working out. I have been doing the couch to 5K program that I have a cool app for on my phone. I would have never thought to myself that I could be a runner, but a friend of mine and I always joked that we wanted to be addicted to running like the runners! So, I started the couch to 5K program. (My sister and family and friends have all decided to enter a 5K) Lucky for me, DCS is having a 5K that I may join in on just to prove to myself that I can do it! Today, after two weeks of NO running. I thought I may die... but I didn't do terrible! I am on week 6 of the program and it is a 5 minute warm-up, run 9 minutes, walk 3, run 9 minutes, then cool down for 5 minutes. I made it through the first run doing well... then the second run came around, and WHEW was I struggling. I didn't have to use my inhaler, but I didn't make it through the last run. I didn't stop, but I struggled! I know that I cannot let working out take a backseat. It is definitely a struggle to make it a priority. Life just seems to get in the way... whether it be school, family, dogs, etc. I must keep focus!

I was more nervous today about how my students would be with a sub. This is the first time I have missed and it is a big stress. I wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly and the same procedures happen so that the students are comfortable and still learning. My mind was spinning this morning! But, all in all, the day went well and learning happened.

I am going to relax for the rest of the night. I think it is a much needed and well-deserved.

-Alexis-

Day.Seventeen.

I truly appreciate the beautiful day! I even took the kiddos out for extra recess because it was too nice not too! The day went by quickly and the lovely afternoon seems to have disappeared quicker! Because I am not going to be at school tomorrow, I had to prep for my subs. I started and then realized that they did not know the little procedural things and that will definitely throw my kids off tomorrow. (or they will all argue about how to do it, because they are always right...)

After I stayed at school until 6pm prepping for the sub I headed home and got to hang out with the puppies and catch up on my shows. I need to relax big time to get prepped... but I am not doing that well. Anyone who knows me, I don't stress and shut down, I work... I work hard! It is constant. Anything to keep me busy and my mind focused on other things.

I want to say thank you in advance to all of those loved ones who have contacted me, helped me realize my strengths, and given me pieces of calm. I really appreciate all of your guidance. I know that I am just over analyzing.. as always. Keep up the prayers and I know that God will find a place for me.

I had a GREAT story to share, but... my brain has lost it. If I think of it, I will be sure to share!

So much on my mind...

Goodnight and God Bless Readers!

-Alexis-

Day.Fourteen.

Sunday. I really enjoy Sundays. Today, I had the chance to catch up with my best friend Michelle! We got to spend the morning together looking for maternity clothes for her ever-growing belly... the babies even gave me a little kick! They love me already. I really don't know where I would be in life if Michelle wasn't part of it, so today's blog... all about Michelle!

Michelle and I grew up in the same small town in the Ohio Valley. We didn't go to the same elementary school, but by middle school, our small private schools had dances for us together! We all would crowd into a church basement dancing in circles of girls and circles of boys. We really didn't become good friends until high school. Of course our lives were full of boy drama. Michelle drove me to school because she drove passed my house.. so why not! I will never forget the multiple car rides in her white corsica with the squeaky door. She drove me to school the day my mom slapped me for agreeing with her that morning that I was being a B*tch. Michelle just laughed as I got in the car! (thanks friend)

Senior year came and FLEW by. I knew I wanted to go to college, but didn't know where. Michelle said to me one day, I am going to Ohio Dominican. I respond, "cool, I'll go too!" (looking back.. wow.. what a way to handle that gigantic life-changing choice) We headed to ODU (parentless), two small town girls and we got lost. I mean REALLY lost! We were in downtown Columbus... scared! No one could help us either. We persevered and made it to ODU orientation at least an hour late. We got to the campus and we liked it. We were going to be roomies of course and we already had the room decor picked out! (Crazy Daisy of course...) College came and went. We spent so much time together and I wouldn't EVER change that experience. Michelle and I are a lot alike and we have our differences. We know how to work together well. (whether it would be on school work--both becoming teachers-- or at Hoggy's waiting on people and bringing them their BBQ) We grew up together and here we were in college. I met John one day at ODU and we hit it off pretty well! We would hang out a lot. Michelle and I really needed a change of pace in our relationships. (true story... what were we thinking!) So, John and I had a brilliant idea...set Michelle up with one of his friends. Well, the initial set-up didn't happen, but Michelle did find a friend she eventually fell in love with. Two friends dating two friends. (perfect scenario) Michelle and I always were there for each other (still are). We call to vent, we call to laugh, and sometimes we call to cry. God gave me a friend and I couldn't have asked for a better one.

We have had times of excitement, happiness, sadness, nervousness, emotion, devastation, and we have always gotten through it. There were times that one of us would fall apart, and the other was there to put the pieces together. I would not be the woman I am today without Michelle. She gives me strength to get through the tough days and encourages me that there is tomorrow.

Fast forward... graduation! Michelle and Adam are engaged, John and I are engaged! Michelle and Adam move about an hour away to be by Adam's work. John and I are in Columbus. We both got married. (maids of honor who couldn't make it through a speech if we were being PAID!) *I was a blubbering mess... but to my defense, she got married first.. it was hard to let me best friend go*

Now, here we are, both looking for full time classrooms and on the road to a family. Michelle and Adam have been blessed with TWINS! How exciting! (and I am already an honorary aunt... no big deal)

I know we aren't sharing a bedroom anymore, sharing a kitchen and eating dinner together everynight, or working on schoolwork together, but in many ways as we grew up and inadvertently apart, Michelle and I have remained so close. We talk to each other often and try to visit as much as our schedules allow. Today, spending time with my preggo friend made me realize how blessed I am to have her and her family (the Grant Avenue one and the Fieldcrest one) in my life. They are all so supportive and full of life and love. I can not wait to be there when my friend brings a baby girl and a baby boy into the world! The twins are already blessed with amazing parents. I pray nightly for their development and growth. I pray that they will be successful and seek education. I pray that they are kind and loving. I will add to my prayers tonight... that they will be blessed with a friendship that Michelle and I share.

Here are a few pictures of me and my best friend throughout the years. I have a few that are on an old and broken computer that I *wish* I could share:

Oh Boy... I think that of all of the wonderful experiences we have shared, there are not many pictures we have to choose from.
More picture taking must commence!

<3love you mich

-Alexis-