So much to be THANKFUL for...

Hi my friends,

The holidays are finally here and it's by far my favorite season of all! Love my family's gatherings, good food and cheer, love dressing up my Gracie girl and just giving THANKS every day for having her in my life this year, love the yummy food (but not the calories - ha!), and the cooler breezier weather here in Miami. Thanksgiving was a day to give thanks for all our blessings and we sure have many!!! How lucky are we?!

Here are some photos from Thanksgiving...







Yes, I'm even thankful for Gracie's teething!!! Because even though she's been a bit cranky and tired lately, her first tooth is emerging and that is amazing. Yeah!! Time sure does fly by! Can you believe she's 5 months old already?

I'm thankful to have started my December Daily album -- even if it won't be finished by Dec 1. Hey, I'm a busy girl! Lots going on and I am committed to getting it done, even if it's super simple. The cover is done and I love how it's coming together. I will share sneak photos soon :)

Have a wonderful holiday season and remember to enjoy each and every day -- I am trying to slow down and follow my own advise!!

Be back soon...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!!!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but life has been very hectic. I'm back at work and it's been VERY busy and then when I get home my time is devoted to the baby... I have been posting updates on Facebook along the way so send me a friend request if you are on Facebook! :)

Today is my birthday and I am feeling very blessed to have such a beautiful healthy and happy baby girl. How lucky am I?! I love my Gracie girl!

Last night, I got to hang out with my scrappy friends thanks to my bestie who planned an outing to Paper Niche. We had a great time scrapping, talking, eating and talking some more. My sweet friends got me cool presents and we cut a delicious cake. How fun!! I got home at 2 am :) THANK YOU ALL!!!!

Here are some photos from today. We had an awesome dinner at CVI.CHE 105 in Downtown Miami. YUM! Our family joined us so we had a pretty big group.






Have a wonderful week and I'll be back blogging very soon :)

Scrappy Wednesday, umm Thursday

Good morning (or is it afternoon?)! I lose track of the time of day... heck, sometimes I don't know what day of the week it is! Since having a baby it all has become a blur, but life is getting back to normal and I absolutely LOVE being a MOM :) wow, the sound of that alone is pretty damn cool! I can't wait for her to say, "Mama." Awww...

I am loving playing with my Studio Calico kits while I work on Gracie's baby album (which I promise to share very soon!). One of my recent faves was definitely Lawn Party - the exclusive papers in this kit were amazing with gorgeous butterflies and doilies - so girly and so ME!

Here's a layout I created with a gorgeous photo of my hubby holding our baby girl. This was for a SC weekly challenge to use a photo enlargement as the base for a layout. LOVE the result! Photo by Margie Bonilla.





And this one was based on a SC weekly sketch (using SC's Candy Shoppe kit)... I love that I'm finally making a dent in the kits I have been hoarding... Pregnancy really messed with my mojo!





I'm reallllllly looking forward to the SC September kit and the guest designer is Amy Tangerine (love her!)

This Saturday, my hubby will be watching the baby (LOVE YOU HONEY! You're the best!) while I go scrapbook with my girlfriends Wallie, Ana, Barbara, Alma, Esther and hopefully Lou! Looking forward to hanging out and chatting and maybe even creating something. LOL!

Two months old...

Yesterday we went walking in Key Biscayne and we had a fabulous time. It was a beautiful, sunny day!




Don't worry - we cover her ALL up so the sun doesn't hit her! LOL! This is the second weekend in a row that we do this and it feels good to resume our weekend adventures! :) Of course, we can't wait to take Gracie swimming and to carry her in Richard's bike, etc. but at the same time we don't want her to grow up - she's growing sooo fast!! STOP!!!

Our baby girl turned two months old this past weekend. Here are some photos I took with my phone :)




And of course I had to dress her all up for the occasion!! HAPPY TWO-MONTH BIRTHDAY my little munchkin, my Gracie Girl, our croqueta of love!!!

I have some layouts to share later this week!! Be back soon...

Catching the sunrise

We had our very FIRST family outing this morning. Teehee!! So exciting! Since we don't really want to expose our little one to the "outside" world till she gets her vaccines, we are careful when planning our outings. Plus, the Miami heat (mid-90's or more) keeps us inside way more than we would like!



What to do? Get up at 4:45 am and get everything ready to head out to Miami Beach and watch the sunrise, of course!



This was my darling hubby's crazy idea and I LOVED it! We can all go out, avoid the crowds, enjoy cooler temps and have some fun together! It was the perfect solution! Whoohoo!




It was lots of fun to be able to head out together as a family since we have only been to the pediatrician's office up to this point.



The sunrise views were beautiful and the weather was still nice (although it got up to 85 degrees by 8 am!). Afterward, we fed the baby in the car, drove down Ocean Drive and then caught breakfast close to home.



It was perfect!! And although our little one-month-old princess slept through most of it, I think she enjoyed it, too!!



Now what to do next weekend? Hmmm... If you have any baby-friendly outing (or vacation) ideas, please share!

One month old!!!

My baby girl turned one month old yesterday, but I couldn't post photos because our Internet connection was down. It was an eventful day because I wanted to dress her up for photos, but she ended up peeing on one outfit and then after I changed her to a new outfit, she pooped! LOL! She wanted attention all day! But it all ended up well and she looked beautiful on her one month birthday! :)

I love my Gracie so much. She has filled my heart with endless love and she's teaching me how to have patience, too! Yes, I'm learning this at 35. It's never too late, right? Teehee!




I cannot stop taking photos of her. The miracle of birth amazes me and I cannot believe how lucky we are to have a beautiful, healthy baby. She is my dream come true.




I have been working on her scrapbook album little by little and it's coming along beautifully :) So glad that I pre-made a few layouts before she came along so all I had to do was add some photos. I will share photos of the album soon!

Happy [almost] Friday! xo

Mind the Gap layouts!

RAK WINNER: Thank you to all who stopped by and left me such nice comments about Gracie's nursery! Even my DH, Richard, left a comment! LOL! The winning comment is #5...

Ursula said...
Your room is just beautiful. My faves, the clock and the tree on the wall. Love it! I have a sweet baby in mind for that journal, thanks for sharing!

July 7, 2011 9:13 PM

Ursula, please send me your mailing address to mvmolina[at]aol[dot]com and I'll get the baby journal out to you as soon as I can! :)

I also want to share a couple of layouts I made this weekend with this month's Studio Calico kit, Mind the Gap, inspired by the design team gallery. These are the very first layouts I've made of my Gracie Girl!

This first layout was inspired by a page that Susan Weinroth created of her with her sweet baby, Noah. Everything is from my kit except for the number "3" brad and the kraft envelope that I added with a note inside. The wood veneer butterflies are from SC (love them).



And this layout is a total scrap lift of Stephanie Howell, which I love.



Hey, I have a newborn so scrap lifting makes sense... quick, beautiful layouts during nap time! Works for me! :)

Gracie's Nursery Tour

Gracie's room is finally complete and we love how it all came out! I hope you love it just as much as we do :)

Take a look at all the details and leave me a comment telling me what you like most about the room. I will select a winner to receive a Gadanke "You Are Loved" baby journal on Monday, July 11.

This is what you see as you enter the room.




Here's a bird's-eye view... (not the best photo but you get the idea)



And this is what Gracie sees from her crib (baby viewpoint courtesy of daddy! HEE!!)




There's a glider in the corner for us to feed and rock the baby. That pink and green quilt was made especially for Grace by my sweet friend, Maritza.



I fell in LOVE with this butterfly mobile from Pottery Barn Kids and just had to have it! And of course the vintage scale completes the look of the room!



This is a good view of the beautiful decals that Richard put up in the room. The tree is full of leaves in two shades of green and there are owls, butterflies and squirrels all around. LOVE it!



She's got a bookshelf and wall-mounted peg shelf that hold her books and other little things, including her first purse (Vera Bradley, of course! This was a gift from her Godmother, Ady!)





Here you can see the quilt in more detail.



And the scale, which is now holding a few stuffed animals.



These adorable hair bows were made by Richard's cousin and hung from a ribbon as a baby shower gift.



The decals look like they're painted on the wall... the quality of these is excellent. So bright and cheery!



We picked up this clock in Mount Dora during our last flea market trip in February.



This pink wooden sign is also from our Mount Dora trip. It's hanging above the closet doors.



A close-up of the gorgeous alphabet print, which adds a nice pop of color to the room.



And finally, a peek at Gracie's wardrobe. I'm only keeping clothes from newborn to 6 months in her closet and they're all sorted by size so I don't forget to use an outfit. I really like this system. I'm all for organization and convenience!



Hope you enjoyed the tour. In case you have any questions, here's a list of sources.

Crib: Pottery Barn Kids
Glider and ottoman: Babies 'R Us
Dresser, nightstand and bookshelf: IKEA
Crib bedding: Land of Nod
Lined baskets and hamper: Target
Wall decals: Simple Shapes (Etsy)
GRACE alphabet print: Penny People (Etsy)
Butterfly mobiles (both): Pottery Barn Kids
Vintage scale: Etsy find
Milk glass lamp: From my scrap room
Elephant canvas tote and yellow chickie bank: Tadpole
Wall paint: Lemon souffle, Benjamin Moore