Let's Hear it For the Boys!

It's a Boy Sippy Cup Extravaganza! I make a lot of girlie things, so it's time for the boys to get some face time! Until today I didn't have very many boyish fabrics, but a quick trip to the fabric store solved that! Let's hear it for the boys!

Up From the Grave He AROSE!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you sang with gusto this morning as we celebrated the resurrection of our Redeemer. Jarred and I sure did! With a medley of He Lives, Up From the Grave He Arose, and Christ the Lord is Risen Today, we celebrated our Savior who defeated death so that we might live with Him. Hallelujah!

Jarred's Easter basket and pound cake:

Ev's recipe of course! Always delicious!

Happy Easter from The Calluras!

The Magic of Crayola

What child doesn't love to get their hands on a brand new box of Crayolas and go to town expressing their creativity? There's just something magical about a fresh pack of perfectly sharpened crayons. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I can't help but love my latest find for embroidery. Big Girl Adventures, in conjuction with Crayola, presents the following Doodlebugz apron and purse:

Front:

Back:

There's also a little white pad of paper that goes in the middle of this apron, but I forgot to put it back before taking the picture:



I hope Langley enjoys her new Crayola accessories!

And in other embroidery news, here are a few boy inspired football sippy cups. The one on the left is my first time using a straw sippy, and the one on the right is for a special little App State fan.

Travel Mug Fundraiser

As you guys know, two of my favorite things are embroidering and using my embroidery to make the day of others. I specifically love making personalized travel mugs. They are one of my favorite things to embroidery because 1) they are easy and 2) there are so many fun possibilities for them! Recently on facebook, a friend suggested that I do fundraisers for people to sell mugs and make money for their cause. And I thought...umm WHOA!! Amazing Idea!! I would love that! So here's what I propose to you:

For someone who is raising money for a ministry or cause they believe in, I will make mugs (like the one on the left in the picture) for $5 each. The person raising money can sell the mugs for $10-$15 each and keep all profit for their cause. Whether it's for a mission trip, youth group, cancer research, etc. As sellers take orders, they can either have the mugs say the buyer's monogrammed initials or have a standard design supporting the cause.

Let me know if you or someone you know are interested in fundraising this way. It would be my honor to help you out!

The Greatest Week of the Year

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!

Masters' week has finally come, and I'm heading down to Augusta on Wednesday to be a part of the hustle and bustle. In honor of my favorite week of the year, I've decided to share a few of my Masters' adventures. I've been blessed to have quite a few, and I can never thank enough the wonderful people who've helped me make such special memories over the years. When my dear friend John invited me to grace the greens of Augusta National for the first time, my mom says it's the most excited she'd ever seen me for anything in my entire life (including getting my first car, etc).

I've also had the pleasure of attending with my friends Erika and Coby, and I'll be forever grateful to them for their kindness in inviting me. Each time, Augusta National was just a beautiful and pristine as the time before. The magic that floats through the air there never dies.

(Some years are colder than others)

But of all the times I've been, one time stands out above the rest, and I have AT&T to thank for it...

Each year I work for a catering company whose main client is AT&T. They pour insane amounts of money into wining and dining their top clients at the Masters, and I get to serve them. This brings the opportunity to hear great speakers such as Paul Azinger, Boo Weekley, DJ Trahan, Billy Mayfair, Ian Baker Finch, Tony Romo, etc. As the years have gone on, I've become friends with the great people who work for AT&T and are in charge of running their events each year. Part of their job is to make sure all of their clients have the best seating available around the golf course. Now here's where I come in. I've not always had the luxury of scoring crazy expensive badges to get in the tournament on my own. Several of my journeys onto the course have been through what we call "chair duty."

Early in the morning, when the gates first open, thousands of people rush onto the course to set out their chairs. As you can imagine, crazy rich entitled folks are a little too lazy to do that themselves. So little eager worker bees like myself get to rush out and set chairs for them. But here's the great memory and reward of this duty. Not only do I get to go into the tournament for a quick view of the course and trip to the merchandise tent...which would be worth the trouble in and of itself, but because AT&T is one of the only outside sponsors of the Masters, they get to drive onto the property of Augusta National rather than going through the regular patron gates. Now let me spell this out for you a little bit more...AT&T doesn't turn into just any 'ol entrance...oh no...AT&T turns down the hallowed Magnolia Lane. The same entrance that the likes of Jack Nicholas, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, etc. enter through. The entrance that the greatest champions of the game have used. And piddly 'ol me has been able to turn down that covered drive of Magnolias up to the clubhouse. I'm pretty sure I almost passed out the first time. Now I don't want to get carried away, we don't drive ALL the way down Magnolia Lane, but rather quickly turn off to skirt around the edge of the course. But for a few yards...it's me, the magnolias, and the history of the greatest sporting event in the world, together in pure bliss. Now the memory could stop here and be the greatest. But there's more, oh there's more. Before going out on the course for the day, AT&T clients are allowed to go into a cabin on the course and have breakfast, etc. So this means I have been in a cabin at the Augusta National Golf Club. I mean come on, who gets to do that?!! SO BLESSED to have the opportunity!

On that special Sunday morning I went on to be a champion chair putter-outer, blocking out a green jacket member for the prime viewing spot on the 18th green. You're not allowed to run on the course, so I'm proud to say my blazing fitness walking skills dominated the other spectators for the victory. I like to think I'm the greatest chair duty worker AT&T and Augusta National have ever seen. I'm certainly honored by the opportunity.



Gifts for God's Precious Miracles

I've been making lots of baby gifts lately, and I'm not going to lie...they are pretty much my favorite thing to do!! First up are a few items for the pregnant ladies at the local crisis pregnancy center. Please join me in praying for a healthy delivery for these precious miracles. Pray also for their moms as they go through this exciting yet terrifying experience.

I've also recently discovered a new brand of baby items that I am in LOVE with: Trend Lab...available on Amazon, and I think Babies R Us. My colleague needed a few baby gifts for someone, so we decided to try out Trend Lab for the first time. Here's the result:

A hooded towel

 

Blanket with print on one side and super soft velour on the other



Everything is cuter and more fun when it's for a precious little one!

Just give me an Arnold Palmer Half and Half!

It's officially one week until my favorite week of the year. The first full week of April marks the annual Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga, and anyone who knows me...knows I LOVE the Masters. In honor of this wonderful time of year, I've decided to share my favorite new drink. Now I'm not one to take in liquid calories very often as they are typically far less satisfying to me than say a piece of cake that I can chew and savor, but in this case, I'm making an exception because I've found a drink that is just that good. It's called The Arnold Palmer Lite Half and Half, and it's made from the Arizona Ice Tea company. Those who follow golf have been aware of this special mixture of half tea and half lemonade for a long time, but it's the first time to my knowledge that it's being sold nationwide by a mass market company. It's half and half, and it's a whole lotta good! Make sure you grab yours today so you can sip in honor of the The King and 4 time Masters winner during this year's tournament.



And in the coming weeks I hope you'll do me the honor of putting up with posts about my favorite Masters memories...and I've had some good ones! I'm blessed to have been to the tournament on many of occasions as well as to have heard many a great golfers speak while catering for AT&T during the tournament week. But no matter how many times I make it through those hallowed gates of Augusta National, it feels like the very first time. The buzz, the beauty, the excitement, it never fades.