Courtny's Birthday... Sorry this is late.

What can I say...Some people are so special.  Courtny is my second daughter and the middle child. ( I remember the day Courtny realized she was the middle child, she was so excited. )  Like Tom says, Courtny has one organ in her body and that is a heart!  She is loving, fun, crazy and light to all who know her.  

Courtny,  I am so proud of you and grateful for your influence in my life.  I, like most people who know you, feel better about myself when I am around you.  You truely are the "special" one.  Or is it "special one"?

Happy 23rd!

Love, Mom

Useful everyday stuff that's beautiful!

I love apartment therapy

Baby it's cold outside

Warm up to this

Sweaters!

Calender Girl December

Due to some incredibly exciting complications in our schedule, (Christmas in Ontario!) Chloe's calender shoot was a bit early this month. Here are a few shots of my growing lil' munchkin. This idea came from... yes Ashley Ann of Under the Sycamore.. for those who haven't heard, my mom and I love her and all she shares on the blog. She found a year long desk calender to document her baby lady. Unfortunately I'm going to have to fill in a few of Chloe's first months since I started on Halloween when Chloe was 3 months but I've got three down now and it will be awesome to see them all lined up together after a whole year : )

It's fun to have these simple little moments .. so much changes in the beginning and you just can't remember it all : )

A little Project I've been working on.

For the last several months Brittny and I have been looking for a vintage quilt for her house.  They can be quite expensive and we just hadn't found the perfect one.  A few months ago I was at the Alameda Antique Faire and spotted a quilt top.  Someone had made a whole quilt top all hand sewn, but never finished it.  I quickly nabbed that quilt top and took it home to turn into a quilt for Brittny.

 I added batting and a quilt back and then decided to hand quilt the blanket.  I didn't quite finish the quilting in time for her birthday,  but wanted her to have it anyway.  So I wrapped it up as is.  Brittny took it home and wants to finish the hand quilting herself.

When I first bought the quilt top took it to a quilt shop in Berkeley and a lady there told me it was probably made in the 30's or 40's.    As I was working on the quilt I thought about the person who started it and wondered what she would have thought to know someone 70 to 80 years later finished it and loved it!  I love old things.

Brittny's Birthday

26 years ago today, I gave birth to my first child and my life was forever changed.  Brittny, I am so proud to call you my daughter.  My heart just wants to explode when I think of the way you have impacted my life.  I have loved and learned so much by raising and watching you grow into the beautiful woman you are.  Here are a few memories, hope you enjoy and aren't too mad at me for posting these.  I love you.  Happy Birthday, Mom.

You are a wonderful mommy!  

O ChristmasTree

The Debonis home smells like Christmas! Our second tree and Chloe's first and she loves it! 20 days 'til the big day!

Chloe's November Calender

Presenting .... Chloe's calender photo shoot for November : ) .. I love this idea. Ashley Ann of Under the Sycamore blog did this with her youngest in black and whites. I set out to do the same.. granted a few months late and in color.

A couple of months ago I found this desk calender at The Paper Source and I love it. I use it to document Chloe's growth simply one month apart. Unfortunately I have only October and November so far, but I'm so glad. Last month she was barely sitting up for her photo shoot and this month she's just about ready to take off crawling. I've taken so many pictures in the time between that it's easy to lost track of how much happens in those flying 30 days. I love the simplicity of a few minutes documented exactly 30 days apart.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday.  Brittny and Jon celebrate on Thursday with Jon's family.  So it is funner to wait a day and celebrate than to make them choose or split their time.  Our day was lovely.  Travis was able to be home which made it extra special.  We got out the good china (we only do this once a year.  It is a lot of work to hand wash all those dishes, but it was fun to be fancy.)  I am truely thankful for my family and that even though most of them are grown up, they like to hang out together.

Bailey set the table. 

It was lovely.

I love cranberry sauce!

    Grateful!