Decorating Elf

This was my little helper during the unpacking of our Christmas decorations--pretty cute, isn't he?!!

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We (Pretty Much) Missed the Iron Bowl

When my mom told me she & my sister had decided to have family Thanksgiving on Saturday, November 26th my reply was "WHAT? You do realize that's the Iron Bowl, right?" Her response, "Well, y'all aren't going are you?" Why no, we had not planned to go to the game, but anyone who lives in Alabama ought to know that people don't even have their weddings on this day--why? Because no-one will go!!! If they aren't at the game, they are parked in front of their television so they do not miss a single play!

I knew better; I should have opted out, stayed home and watched the game as I normally would, but I'm trying to be more accommodating these day (much to my own demise)! I believe we saw 5-6 plays in the first half, and Ray drove like a mad man to try to get us home in time to not miss the ENTIRE second half (and the radio in his car wouldn't work so we couldn't even listen to the game for the 1 1/2 hour drive home)! Luckily, we won really BIG and we got to see the fourth quarter, at least! Family--gotta love em'!!

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Happy Thanksgiving

We've made it a family tradition to ALWAYS cook a full Thanksgiving meal at our house, even if we were attending Thanksgiving festivities elsewhere. We love all the hustle and bustle of chopping, mixing and creating yummy dishes we miss throughout the year. We had a great time (and the boys helped along the way) and we ate ourselves into a coma (almost)! Happy Thanksgiving!

Macklin makes hot chocolate while Jackson enjoys bacon & pancakes!

Enjoying a little Edgar's pumpkin cookie for an after breakfast snack!

Table set for a Thanksgiving feast, Carle style! 

 Jackson surprising us as he tears into a turkey leg!

 Macklin staying true-to-form while refusing to eat anything except vanilla yogurt!

 Macklin down for the count (that yogurt must have been good)!

Daddy throws in the towel, too! Everything was DELISH!!

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Thanksgiving LOVE

Thanksgiving deserves it's due! After all, it is one of the most enjoyable days of the year as you get to overload your plate with some of the best dishes you don't make all year (why, I do not know b/c they are SO GOOD) and watch football (at least, that's how WE do it at our house)! We never decorate for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving and when I decorate for Halloween, I try to use items that lend themselves to Thanksgiving too! So, in my inspiration searching for Thanksgiving, I came across these photographs which reminded me of Thanksgiving. The use of natural elements, fall hues like orange and chocolate, candles, pumpkins and of course, cornucopias, help us share the Thanksgiving LOVE--Gobble, Gobble!!

 

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Gymnastic Party Overload

Our Saturday was packed full of tumbling, pizza & birthday party goodies! The boys had back-to-back parties for classmates and they had a blast. Check out the fun....

Jackson always loves the foam pit!

Macklin enjoyed balancing on all the forms!

Macklin couldn't resist the balance beam while Jackson snacked on pizza (Macklin only wanted cake)! Happy Birthday Charles & Becker!!

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Hello, My Name is Amye, and I Am a Dork!

Most everyone that reads this blog knows that 7 months ago (WOW, I can't believe its already been 7 months!) I accepted a new position with the best company I have ever had the pleasure to work for, Hoar Construction. My position entails reviewing and understanding the risks associated with our line of work and managinig those risks on a day-to-day basis.

While I had a tinsy bit of experience in this area, I needed more knowledge under my work belt to better understand how to go about such a monumental task. I was lucky enough to get the okay to attend the 31st IRMI Construction Risk Conference in San Diego, California and I convinced Ray to join me. Here's the part where I say, "HELLO, MY NAME IS AMYE AND I AM A DORK." Yes, I know most people sign up for conferences, attend a sesssion and then explore the city the rest of the time. While I was game for a bit of sight-seeing, I really was interested in attending the conference. I attended every session [Dork] (plus an additional 2 sessions) I signed up for and I learned a ton of stuff [Dork]. I also made sure I got materials from the other sessions to read on my own [Dork] and attended almost all the networking functions [Dork]. It never occurred to me not too [Dork] until we ran into an old friend in the airport on the way back and she reminded me of the simple fact that nobody goes to all the sessions. So yes, I am a Dork!

We did, however, see a little bit of San Diego and what I did see, I LOVED! Give me a millionaires bank account (or let me win the lottery) and I'll move today! Here are a few photos of what I did take in (outside the confines of my conference walls)--hahaha....

Petco Park--home to the San Diego Padres (stadium was right across the pedestrian bridge from our hotel).

Gaslamp Quarter--this is where most of our dinners and events were held during the conference. Great area filled with resturants, shops and night spots.

USS Midway Museum--aboard the USS Midway which was one of America's longest serving aircraft carriers. It has 25 restored aircraft and it was really neat seeing how sailors made this place their home (I would not want to bunk in their room). See our deck photos and learn more about it by going here.

Old Town--this is the birthplace of California and the site of the first Spanish settlement. This picture is of the Whaley House, which is said to be haunted.

Old Town--this is The Church of the Immaculant Conception--I just thought it was beautiful!

Old Town Market--this was the best market--I could have spent all night here (and a LOT of money)! We got the boys the cutest guitars and they were a HUGE hit.

Embarcadero--this is San Diego's bayfront which is 4 miles of bayside paths which lead to a quaint seaside fishing village called Seaport Village.

 

San Diego was an awesome city and I would certainly recommend it!

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Office Design Sneak Peak

Decorating a commerical space is much more difficult than a residential space, let me be the first to admit this cold hard fact! While I have absolutely had fun with this project, it has certainly had several moments of challenges (one I'm still working out). However, I think the space is very professional and sleek. Here's a little sneak peak of the conference room, which I might add has changed just a bit with a few accessories since I first photographed it--more on the complete space soon.

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Trick-or-Treat: Round #4

With all the Halloween events and activities we'd participated in leading up to Halloween night, I thought the boys may be over it and want to stay in for a quiet evening of passing out candy; HA--what a funny! They were beyond excited to put their conductor outfits on and join in all the trick-or-treating fun. They had a blast and we have enough candy to last us until next Halloween, seriously!

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Weekend Roundup--Soccer Version

Since the end of September, our Saturday mornings have revolved around Jackson's soccer game. This is our first try at an organized sport and I must say, I'm a PROUD MOMMA!! Jackson has done such a great job (his first goal brought me to tears) and he's already asked to play again in the spring. The last game for the "Purple Dragons" is this Saturday so I've been working on a photo CD for all the parents of our season; here are a few pictures of all our soccer fun--GO PURPLE DRAGONS!!

 

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Just a Little Bit of Boo

I went minimalistic on the Halloween decorating this year (not really sure why other than time). Before it's time to take it all down and move onto Christmas (Thanksgiving gets so little love), I wanted to share a few snapshots with you of my little bit of Boo!

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