don't blink

{Project 356} August 25

Today I believed I solved back-to-school shopping issue with a 16-year-old boy: 

1. Have him invite a friend along (in this case it was a female friend). 

2. Give him some cash.

3. Set them free in Tysons Corner.

They had a blast and I had a nice relaxing day of shopping myself! He did very well and got a lot of stuff for $200! Now to get him on a regular sleeping schedule before the first day of school...that will be the challenge!

While at Tysons I had to snap this picture of a store that will be opening there in the fall:

Yeah! I can't wait! I think the girls and I will be planning a shopping day as soon as it opens! I LOVE Tysons Corner!

{Project 356} August 23

Today was Crab Fest at Wegmans. And being the crab lover that I am, I was more than happy to take part and purchase a bunch of Maryland Blue Crab and bring them home for as a surprise for Chris and Ryley. What a treat! We just placed newspaper on the picnic table, dumped out the crabs and we feasted on them for a very long time! We decided that when Crab Fest rolls around next year, we are going to have a party to celebrate. I was a great summertime dinner that we could have over and over again!

Drip Drop

After a week(s) of hot an humid weather, I have been praying that today, August 22 (my one day off this weekend) was going to be gray and rainy. I got my wish! I know it sounds crazy. Why would anyone want their day off from work to be wet and rainy? Why? Because I have been trying for WEEKS to get caught up on my blog and the weather has been just too nice to be sitting in front of the computer without feeling guilty! So I have been entering posts to Don't Blink since 8am this morning and I am happy to say that I am current! Yeah!

Now I think I am going to take an afternoon nap. There is nothing like falling asleep to the sound of rain on the window pane!

{Project 356} August 21

Have you ever heard of Hatch Chili Peppers? I haven't either until the 3-day Hatch Chili Event taking place at Wegmans August 21-22. It is a pepper grown only in Hatch, New Mexico and is only available 4 weeks out of each year. It is supposed to be the world's best roasting chili pepper. I gotta say, it is pretty yummy! And they smell sooooooooo good when they are being roasted! I only tried the mild one. I was somewhat afraid to try the hotter ones. Whatever scale the food industry uses to rate how hot a pepper is (I can't remember the name of it), the hotter variety of the Hatch Chili rates a 7-8 on a scale of 10. A Jalapeno is a 5. So you can see why I was a bit scared!

I snapped some pics for the store and thought I would post a few here:

{Project 356} August 8

I had a day off from work today and we decided to take care of trimming back the bushes and raking out all of the old wood chips from the flower beds out front. They have been totally neglected and needed some work. While I was hacking the bushes, I found this little critter living amongst the branches:

After a hard days work, we went out to Tim's Rivershore for dinner. The place is somewhat of a dive, but it is right on the water and the food is yummy. We love watching people motor up to the dock in their boats. It's like a Red-Neck Yacht Club out there! After dinner we went for a little walk on the dock to listen to the band that was playing. Great night!

{Project 356} July 30

Well, today is the day...my baby is driving...all by himself...I don't know whether to jump for joy, cry my eyes out or warn every friend and family member that the state of Virginia has given this child a license to drive a motor vehicle. 

He is sooooo happy to be able to go off by himself. He does, however, needs to text me whenever he gets to his destination to let me know he got there safely and he has to text me when he leaves...just so I know when to expect him home. I know, I know, I have to cut the cord. But it is hard when it's your youngest!

Buckled in

Backing up

Moving forward

Free at last!

He looks soooo cool in that mini van!

{Project 356} July 16

After wearing several years of having long hair, Ryley decided it was time to cut off those wavy locks!

So, he consulted with Robin (our stylist) and she went to work...

And this was the result...

Doesn't he look great??? He looks so much older! His friends are going to be SHOCKED! It will be hard to get used to him seeing him with short hair, but I love it!

{Project 356} July 14

Patti and I have a crop coming up and we are releasing the latest kit from our "{Love} My Organized" series of organizational kits. It's Christmas in July and I created the project you see below. It is a binder to hold your holiday calendar, addresses for cards & wish lists of gifts ideas for friends and family. I love the way it turned out! 

Front

Back

The kit comes with a CD containing files for the months of Nov., Dec., and Jan. All you do is print them off, punch the holes and place them behind the divider you see above.

The CD also has a file for addresses. It is designed to keep track of those you send cards to and who you receive them from. Again, you just print them off, punch the holes and place them behind the divider.

The Wish List file is my favorite file on the CD! Every year I always am at a loss of what to get friends and family for Christmas. I designed a page with sections for information such as hobbies, favorite authors, favorite colors, collections, etc. It will help to narrow ideas down. There is even a to write which stores you will shop at, amount of money you would like to spend, etc.

If you are interested in purchasing a kit, drop me a line at kellymsill@gmail.com!

{Project 356} June 26

All week Chris has been a tour guide, showing Kristen, Daniel and the kids the sites of DC and various battlefields around the area. I had a day off and we drove up to Mount Vernon. It was a hot day but we had a great time walking the grounds and touring the home. 

{Project 356} June 24

It was a day with the girls! Kristen, Olivia and I went to Tysons for a day of non-stop shopping! We drove the convertible up there with the top down. O's hair was a mess when we got there! I snapped a few pics of her while Kristen was trying to untangle that mess! One of the first stop we made was, of course, Build-A-Bear. She picked out the rainbow bear and named him...you guessed it...Rainbow. She is soooo original. I changed the pics to black and white because there was an extremely yellow cast to the originals. Love black and white!