Being a Mom 16 years later

My 1st Born baby boy is turning 16 today!

The past 16 years raising him has been quite a journey

He has made me laugh, he has made me cry...he brings me joy & makes my heart FULL!

watching him grow into a young man has been such an experience.

I think he is one of the coolest kid I know

 I think he is one of the cutest kid I know

 I Know every time he has called me Mommy has made my heart sing

{even when he was yelling at me out of frustration} 

I think he can be one of the goofiest kids I know!!! 

{look at that cheezey smile}

He is one of the most stylin' kids I know!!

{for sure that boy has a watch fetish!}

But being HIS Mommy has made me feel like a cool & Hip Mom!

Even through his struggles of life & the painful moments when I had to watch him stumble so he could figure life out. . . . .well it was all worth it to see THIS Smart, Handsome, Awesome, Stylin' guy!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy to my Man Baby!!

Thank you for bringing me joy & making me feel like the luckiest Mom in the world!

I LOVE you!!!

A GREAT Discovery

While on vacation my family & I always like to find local spots to check out.

we NEVER like to go restaurants that we can go to close to home

well except for Cracker Barrel.....that's the stop of choice while on the road

and trust me when I say that has become the joke of our family!

Because my Hubs has a love for all you can eat anything. . . .
and in case you are wondering he is a skinny bean pole!

we set out on a quest to find a spot to make him happy since the place we discovered just a year earlier was CLOSED!

so after some Internet searches we thought this place was worth a try

{you can check them out here }

When we pulled into the drive it didn't look like a very big place but it looked super clean from the outside

that's always a good sign

When we stepped inside. . . . I was really pleased.  The decor was done up in a cute beachy local art

again.....a good sign

Even though I pretty much knew I was getting the all you can eat shrimp before I walked in the door

I had to look over the whole menu because it all looked so good!

I am a shrimp eating fool so yes the shrimp won again!

 and let me just tell you that they were THE BEST fried shrimp I have ever had!

Like EVER!

they were lightly breaded in a way that allowed the shrimp to be crunchy without the breading being the only taste or texture in your mouth.

Crunchy & meaty. . . 

They really nailed it! 

Amazing!!!

I also LOVED the slaw!

the taste was great but what really sent it to the moon was the little tiny baby shrimp they put in it

{yes I know they are called salad shrimp but that doesn't sound near as cute}

you see that little guy in there. . . . really good stuff

they also had great iced tea!  just the right brew. . . 

I really hate when I order an iced tea & it's nothing but glorified water.

 I regret not asking if I could have one of their cups!!! 

yes . . . that is how much I like this place. . .I wanted a cup OK?!?!?

 Oh Look . . . there is my brother 

Isn't he the sweetest??? 

Maybe that was his way of saying great place 

 We ate well & had lots of laughs in a new favorite place

 too bad I will have to drive 15 hours next time the craving hits!!

To get straight to the point. . . .
 next time you are in Navarre Florid  and you want great food
with friendly service at an awesome price

check out the Shrimp Basket

we liked it so much....we went again a few days later & had the steamed shrimp...mmmmm good!

~Happy Creating

                

Rest & Relaxation

Well I am FINALLY posting to my beloved blog after 

an awesome vacation of rest & relaxation!

{Trust me when I say it was LONG over due}

since then we opened our new martial arts location, got kids back to school & 

caught a nasty sinus infection...

It feels good to be back in my normal swing of things!!!

BUT I miss this view.....

 and awesome sunsets

 How storms roll in over the ocean

 or the peaceful evening sky

 I miss all the Crabbies {and all the other wildlife} that come to visit daily

  

 Most of all I miss the sea 

I miss this place.....Navarre Beach

{yes I could totally live here}

where we have created so many great memories!

 Memories that will last a lifetime

Memories that keep family close!

I love my Family!!! 

{and beach vacations}

~Happy Creating

               

Sugar Skull

We I have a little bit of a fascination with sugar skulls. . . while I don't have them displayed all over my home or as beautiful artwork on my body. . . I love them none-the-less

so at about this time last year I decided I would "doodle" one myself~

 As I sat listening to the TV & the kids I just doodled away enjoying myself. . . . and while it led me to my happy place. . . . it evolved & grew

 and before I knew it I had scrolls over here. . . 

 and paisleys & crosses & flowers over there. . . . 

when I was done with my little paper mache masterpiece I sat back & smiled. . . he was pretty dang cute!

In the end I decided to post him on my ETSY site

I was a little hesitant. . . I mean, it was something I doodled.  Who would want something I doodled.

WELL.....to my excitement today. . . someone did buy it!  I was so giddy!

It was my 1st sale on ETSY after being a member for 2 years.

Having that sale today made me realize that sometimes it just takes a little bit of patience & a whole lot of belief in yourself.

So if you are unsure of your projects or unsure of your ability to sell what you love. . . remember this~

SOMEONE WILL ALWAYS FIND BEAUTY IN THE ART YOU MAKE!

~Happy Creating

a Momentous Occasion

A very GRAND Occasion!!!

{at least for me anyway}

I looked at my blog & I had 5000 views as of today!!!!!!

THANK you to everyone who takes time to visit my blog

whether you are a regular or just passing by. . .

it makes me feel like a movie star!!!

~Happy Creating!

 

Givin' it away

A little while back I had a giveaway on my Creative Mrs. Smith Facebook Page 

One of my lucky fans was entitled to a banner of their choice.

 My fan wanted a birthday banner because her husband is having a milestone birthday

{we wont discuss any numbers here}

 so to honor her hubsters birthday we did a banner in red, silver & black

 I tried to keep it as manly as I could considering paper banners are Not 

the most masculine item in the world

and she might want to use this again in the future. . . .maybe for a self thrown party???

{ya I said it because those are the parties I get for me mmmmkay}

 anyway. . . . back on track here. . . . I fashioned this banner smaller than some you have seen in the past because I have learned that unless you are spelling a short name. . . smaller works better for these items

{my cousin should know what I mean *wink wink*}

 The letters I used were fun because they had different patterns to them which added to the 

overall look & feel of the banner itself. . . . and glitter paper...who doesn't like that right?

{well maybe the man whose birthday this is for but surely he sees the glitz, glam & beauty in it . . . right?}

 This banner was fun to make because I liked the colors & loved the idea that someone outside of my family was going to get to use one of my banners

So to one of my very great fans, follower & supporter of well, ME, Creative Mrs. Smith~

Thank you for tuning in & for giving me a reason to create! 

I hope you enjoy your banner & I really hope your Hubster has a fantastic birthday.... 

and please send pics!!! 

~Happy Creating

Baby Girl Shadow Box

I have to say...one of my favorite things to make right now is a shadow box.  You get the feeling of scrap-booking BUT you can add so much more dimension and I find that so much fun because the possibilities are endless

I added a little something special to this box .....can you see it?

I wanted to add a little ah ha moment when the parents {and admirers} discover this hidden in plain sight message there.

It was one of those ideas that I hadn't tried before & hoped for the best.

I was a little tiny bit skeptical that this would work out but sometimes you need to take a chance on ruining something in order to come up with a gem. . . something to be proud of.

I really liked the outcome of the rub on because it looks like it is etched on there but it was so easy !

so worth the chance!

I wonder if my Brother & sister in law have seen this there yet. . . . hmmmmm I guess they will check now ha-ha!

now you see it. . . now you don't. . . . I love a little mystery. . . . 

Don't you??

~Happy Creating