The Parker Update

A Quick Look Back at 2011

2012-01-02T19:56:00.003-05:00

I almost can't believe we are already into 2012! It has been a very restful holiday break. Neal has been off work since Friday before Christmas! It has been really nice having an extra pair of hands and eyes on the munchkin! He goes back tomorrow, and I, and definitely Amelia who yells for "DAAADDYYY" as soon as she wakes up, will miss having him home all day.But, we must move along with our days

Christmas Card Season!

2011-11-26T21:55:00.004-05:00

It's Christmas card season again, and Shutterfly has some great specials right now on all of their Christmas cards. Most of them are 40% off and you can get free shipping on all orders over $30 with the code SHIP30!Candy Striped Snapshot Christmas CardShop Shutterfly's collection of Christmas photo cards.View the entire collection of cards.

Living Room "Artwork"

2011-09-29T09:28:00.004-04:00

We've been in our house 2 years on Friday. Wow, has it already been that long?! We've had the living room in a nearly-finished state that whole time. The big items that was always missing was some sort of art piece behind our sofa where there is really, really big, blank wall. After pouring through idea after idea, we decided to try our hands at something like this we saw on Pinterest:So, I went

Foodgawker

2011-09-23T10:47:00.005-04:00

Lately I have been making lots of yummy treats that I have found on foodgawker.com. That site is fantastic, but a total time hog! Unfortunately for a lot of the recipes, I haven't had my camera close by, so no pictures of banana white chocolate almond muffins, blueberry muffins, yogurt dill bread, buffalo chicken pasta, golden lemon roasted chicken (so easy and inexpensive!), paprika potatoes,

Summer Update- Part 2

2011-08-14T21:21:00.005-04:00

So, picking up where I last left off of our summer adventures: In July, we took Amelia on her first plane trip to Virginia/Washington, D.C. We spent a wonderful family-fun-filled weekend with Neal's grandmother, Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. There was lots and lots of swimming, which Amelia just loved. We also were able to have a family reunion of sorts with people from all over Virginia & West

A Long Time Coming- Summer Update Part 1

2011-07-25T13:37:00.010-04:00

It has been a very packed summer so far! In some ways we are on the go what seems like ALL the time, in other ways, we are getting to spend a lot of quiet family time together at home, just the 3 of us! Here is just a glimpse at the fun summer activities so far!MayCoca-Cola 125 Years Celebration in Centennial Park, AtlantaEnjoying her first taste of frozen strawberry lemonade!Mother's DayThis was

Homegoods Shopping Spree Gift Card Giveaway!

2011-05-31T21:40:00.001-04:00

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality is hosting a HomeGoods $100 gift card giveaway given by BlogHer! Check it out here!

3 Special Gifts

2011-04-01T13:12:00.003-04:00

These coordinating pleated purses are going to 3 very special sisters overseas!They were all made out of fat quarters, one for the outside and one for the inside and strap. I downloaded the free Buttercup Purse pattern from Made by Rae, and it was pretty easy to follow. I made a few alterations, like attaching interfacing to the entire outside fabric so that it is sturdier. I also made the strap

Newest Family Member

2011-04-01T11:02:00.003-04:00

Damon August Singletary ParkerBorn at home to David and Caroline on Wednesday, March 23, 2011. He was 8 pounds exactly!He and Amelia are exactly 5 months apart, and I can't wait to watch them grow up and play together!If you want to read Caroline's fantastic birth story, it is on her blog, which you can get to by clicking here.

The Completed Nursery...FINALLY!

2011-03-10T09:01:00.006-05:00

Well, Amelia is nearing 5 months, so I figured it was a good time to put the finishing touches on the nursery and call it complete! It was a process trying to figure out what to do in there. Originally, since we didn't know her gender before she was born, we were going to do everything in neutrals. Well, once she was here, I couldn't help but want to put some feminine touches in her room. So, the

Baby Essential Set

2011-03-08T13:05:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, I completed an order for a matching set of burp cloths, blanket and nursing cover. The momma doesn't know the gender, so these are neutral enough to be used for a baby boy or girl! Here's how they turned out:Blanket & Burp ClothsBurp Cloths (set of 3)The Blanket & Burp Cloth SetAmy Butler Nursing Cover (LOVE!)

Owl Baby Shower

2011-03-07T13:21:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday afternoon, a group of women gathered in our home to pray for the Smith's new baby! The Mommy & Daddy did not want to find out the gender, and they are not giving away the name quite yet (parents after our own heart!). Customarily, we only have true baby showers, with gifts and all, for a first baby. This is the Smith's 3rd child, but we of course still want them to feel special

Invitations & Cards

2011-03-02T12:27:00.004-05:00

I have just added a page for all of my most recent custom invitations and cards. Here's what has been created lately!Words of Wisdom Baby Shower(Front)Words of Wisdom Baby Shower(Back)Jungle Baby Shower

It's Party Time!

2011-02-28T10:12:00.004-05:00

Sunday afternoon was our 3rd annual celebration of the nearly 7 Parker family birthdays during the month of February and March!1. Deborah- February 22. Neal- February 53. Caroline- February 164. Grandpa Farthing- February 245. David- March 206. Sharon- March 257. New Baby David & Caroline- March ??? We enjoyed a variety of 3 homemade

Let's Try Again

2011-02-25T08:33:00.003-05:00

My {re}Purposed Life is doing a giveaway for a Silhouette! It is an AH-MAZING machine, and this giveaway is a bit smaller than the first one I entered about a month ago, so better odds!

A Day at the Park

2011-02-20T16:27:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday the weather was beautiful, so we decided to take advantage of it and spend some time out-of-doors at the local park. Amelia and I took up residence in the tree shade, while Neal ran the track for about 2 miles. It has been a bit too cold since Amelia has been born to spend much time outside, so this was really only her second time out enjoying the breeze!This is what she did

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:13:00.002-05:00

No special plans for us today since we just celebrated 2 birthdays earlier this month! A nice & quiet evening at home is all that is in store for us.Hunny woke up to the-absolute-cutest-card-I've-ever-seen this morning! I blogged about the free valentine card from TinyPrints here a few weeks ago. It came on Friday, just in the nick of time!

Amelia Jane's Room---Almost Done!

2011-02-11T09:29:00.003-05:00

Amelia's room has been a slow process...and we're almost done! It started out with mostly gender neutral items, and the big stuff still is. I have added some more feminine touches over the past couple of days, and I hope to be completely done by the weekend! Here's a sneak peak:

"Sew" Sweet

2011-02-01T23:13:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been on a sewing kick, and good thing because I've had a TON of baby items to make! From blankets to burp cloths, here are the latest items I just completed. They are burp cloths for the wife of one of my husband's co-workers. She is due any day now!The completed order!LOVE these Amy Butler designer fabrics!Retro Chocolate and PinkSweet Baby BlueIf anyone wants to make a request, just

The Children's Place MONSTER SALE!

2011-02-01T15:01:00.001-05:00

The Children's Place online shop is having a MAJOR sale. Most items are $2.99 and they still have a decent selection and size options available. HURRY to check them out though, because I know one of the tops I had in my cart sold out by the time I went to check-out!

Valentine's Day Card

2011-02-01T14:38:00.002-05:00

TinyPrints is running a special right now, where you can get one free valentines day card when you check out with promotional code FREELOVE. These cards are typically $3.99, and they have some really cute designs that you can add your own photo to so that they are extra special!After Valentine's Day, I'll post the most adorable one that I just ordered! (good thing her daddy doesn't read this blog

Kitchen Giddiness

2011-01-22T14:57:00.006-05:00

These kitchen towels just make my smile each time I see them! They have such a fun and playful attitude that they give off!Best of all, they only took about 30 minutes to make!

Scrumptious Lunch

2011-01-22T14:51:00.001-05:00

And so the campaign to cook at least one new meal a week continues. This week I was looking through Food & Wine cookbook and came across a picture- who cooks without pictures- of a Penne with Asparagus and English Peas. So, I went to work putting my own twist on it. The recipe has an olive oil dressing on it, and is served cold, but I knew we wanted something a bit heartier and warm, considering

A Great Giveaway

2011-01-17T11:28:00.004-05:00

This is an AMAZING giveaway! Since I've been on a giveaway-winning-streak lately, I decided to enter! Oh the ideas of projects I could make with the Silhouette just don't stop!And you can enter for a chance to win too!Visit The Shabby Chic Cottage and follow all the instructions on how to enter. It's really easy, and considering the "pay-out", totally worth it!And something similar to this will

Making this House our Home Progress Report

2011-01-13T16:41:00.009-05:00

We have been in our house for nearly a year and a half now. There is still a long list of things "to-do", as I'm sure there will always be. Here's a quick update on a few of the rooms.Office/Craft RoomI spend most of the day in this room, so getting it to a state of "completion" would be nice.The original idea was to do a room based on both mine and hunny's alma maters: Georgia Tech and Kennesaw

Baby Projects

2011-01-13T14:35:00.004-05:00

While my sugar-plum, bright-eyes, munchie, whatever-I'm-calling-her-at-the-moment, was napping, I finished up some baby gifts of blankets and matching burp cloths! These are super soft and cuddly and simple to make!

A New Delicious Dinner

2011-01-05T20:26:00.002-05:00

So, Neal calls right at 5:00 and says he is coming home early. GREAT! Oh, wait, we have nothing to eat for dinner! I knew I had 2 pork chops in the freezer, but hello, they were FROZEN! So, I ran down real quick to thaw them out in some hot water. Neal isn't the biggest fan of pork, and we already had pork once this week, so I knew he wasn't going to be all that thrilled with the choice. So, I

New Recipe

2011-01-05T14:21:00.004-05:00

First week in January, and so far I have kept my "resolution" to make one new recipe a week! This week:Apple Crisp by Paula Deen (read: delicious, but will clog your arteries with butter and sugar if you have more than one half serving!)

I am resolved to...

2011-01-01T21:44:00.002-05:00

Well, here's my around-the-house-to-do list for 2011. I think it will be interesting to look back in 364 days and see what all I actually accomplished on this list...and what I added to it as we went along!