My sweet Kerri Kiker~ you will forever live in my heart

This past week has been on of the hardest weeks ever! My sweet, beautiful friend Kerri was killed in a car wreck on the 19th of January. She was a wonderful girl, a girl so full of life~ a girl who taught me so much about life. At a time when most of us are making huge choices in life (teenage years) I was led by her. She taught me how to put on my makeup, she taught me how to straight iron my hair, how to drive a car, how to smoke~(I didn't say it was all good :), she took me muddin' she took me to the beach, she helped me get a job @ cowboys, she she taught me how to be a good friend, a friend for life!

A couple of my favorite memories of Kerri......My favorite time with her was on night on our way back from Cowboys. We were tired from work and I was dozzing off in the passenger seat when she scream for me to wake up that she saw two shooting stars~ I naturally made fun of her & said "Whatever?!?!" I snuggled back into place, when she screamed again~ she had seen another one! That was how she was~ just always so happy & excited over the smallest things. Well I sat up and watched and sure enough there were several shooting stars shooting across the sky. We didn't know until we turned the radio on that there was a meteor shower that night...so once we got to Ellijay we pulled up to Talona Mtn. and sat by the cross, watching the shower of shooting stars. She was in amazement~ we hung our heads out of her sunroof & puffed on our NASTY cigarettes~ just young and without care....we normally got home around 3am from work, but on this night we rolled in after day light~ we must have sat there for 4 or more hours just talking and soaking up our time together. It is nights like this that I'll treasure forever.....now my sweet friend is among those stars!

Another of my favorite times with Kerri was our "girly nights" We would make our boyfriends leave the cabin and we would get in our pj's (which if you know Kerri that consisted of OVER SIZED GUY PAJAMA PANTS & A SWEAT SHIRT) then we would turn on the Golden Girls and do our facials. The first night we decided to do it, she taught me how to do the whole facial thing...she directed me not to smile or it would crack once it was dried. Again if you know Kerri, that was impossible....so as she came back from he kitchen I took her picture then she took mine~ once she sat down we looked at each other & started to laugh~ we laughed and laughed! Our faces cracked all to pieces. :) She was such a good friend, with such a happy soul.

I'll post our pics from the night of facials once they are scanned.


I'm so thankful to have known Kerri. I will never forget the wonderful moments we spent together~ as for the friends I have with me still. I love you all.

♥ The Hippo update ♥

2 weeks old....






1 month...... 8lbs. 7oz




2 Months.......12lb. 4oz



3 months....(with her new pierced ears)



4 months.....she's smiling and oh so so sweet!



5 Months
It is so cool how with each photo I am able to see Lyla change......each photo holds a new milestone! This month Lyla found her feet! They are her new best friend, (next to Tate). She weighs around 18lbs. I will take her next month for her "well baby check up" and we'll see exactly what she weighs. Oh & check out her new hoop ear rings ♥







6 months
Oh my goodness! Lyla is already 6 months old!!!!! That is half of a year, already gone~ just flew by! She is growing and learning so much. She can sit alone now and she has also gained two teeth! With the hustle and bustle of Christmas I was late posting this but the photo is on the 15th of December when she turned 6 months. She broke her first bottom tooth on the 17th (my Bday) and then the second one came in on Christmas morning....those were her gifts to me, the breast~feeding mother! lol Nah, only playing...I am really thrilled they popped out, cause gosh she looks cute with them~ Lyla is such a happy baby, she loves people and is already rooting for their attention. This month she has changed alot. She cries alittle when I leave the room & she will grab for me to hold her~ she is totally lovin' Mom! Her favorite food is bananas & she loves drinking water from a sippy cup. I can't believe how fast she is growing...so here is the pic, can't you just squeeze those legs!




She is 7 Months!
Oh wow! What a change one month can make...she is so curious & notices everything! The changes have defently happened this month~ Lyla is in l♥ve with Mommy. If I walk out of the room...she cries, if I hand her off....she cries, I know it all stems from love so it's okay. She was so much fun for this month's photoshoot~ (even if I did have my camera in landscape & the pics are green!!!) I redid the shoot & the color look great, but they were missing the story...So I'm going with the green one~ because during the session she finally realized there was a little hippo beside her...she would look at me with a serious look then look at the hippo, then back to me & cry. Then she'd do it all over again. She was just not so sure about the little hippo! So here it is.....my green picture! LOL

♥ My most recent projects ♥

I've been doing a few projects around the house & have really enjoyed the time I've spent doing them! It felt good to have "me time". Rob has been giving me alot of time to myself lately to work on projects and boy did I need it! Jen and I finished up the window pane coat rack. It was a great time spent with her & reminded me just why we are best buds!




The other project I've been working on is my mantle & my prints.....I was just so lucky to see a friend's mantle (Nacole) and loved it....so there I went and brought out the black paint! I've painted just about everything in my house now! lol I still have to hang the prints & get some new cool stuff for the mantle...but here is a little peak at what my work in progress looks like~ I love it! They also look better in person as there are not as many reflection as in the picture.



Well that is it for now....but I'm sure there is more to come~ Jen and I are getting together again tonight for creative fun!!!!! I'm so excited!

Ms. Lyla Grace

A day stored in my memory....

It's a day I hope to never forget & one I hope to relive every year!






The day after Thanksgiving~ we went out to the Jone's Christmas Tree Farm in Ellijay. I love everything about getting our tree there...I love the beautiful drive through the country road that I used to travel daily on the way to my parents house; I love the memory of going there yearly with my parents to pick the PERFECT tree; I love the smell of the tall green trees; I love the cold crisp breeze that lets me know winter is upon us. I just love it all!




Tate had alot of fun meeting Mr. George (owner of farm) he was alittle afraid of his old saw mill~ but in the end he thought it was all pretty neat! He ran and played in ALL the rows of trees....to him the place must have seemed endless! He helped pick out our tree, but orignally wanted every HUGE 15ft. tree & didn't understand that we had to get one to fit in our house...which was also hard for me to understand! I also wanted all the large ones & was constantly reminded by Rob that they just wouldn't fit!







The photo below is one of my favorites from the ride~ I love the fact that it captured so much in one simple shot....notice the bright blue skies in the mirror, the beautiful pasture filled with cows, and me snapping the picture~