Frannie's Card Challenge!

Hello Frannie's Friends!

When I go into my favorite craft store (Hobby Lobby) I always know that the holidays are around the corner when there are more Christmas aisles than scrapbooking aisles! And, as I walked in there the other day there is no doubt that....

'TIS THE SEASON!!!!

This year has been really good and I want to end this year GREAT!!!!!!!!!! Some of you may not know that my husband and I adopted another son this summer! We were there for his birth and he is now 3 months old. He is absolutely amazing and such a blessing. :) And, it really is crazy how fast time goes! Due to his birth and initial adoption proceedings over the past few months, I was not able to take on as many orders as usual. However, now we are back home, we have our routine down, we are all sleeping more, and I am soooo ready for the holidays!!!!!

SO, I have a CHALLENGE for everyone!!!!! (There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition and getting some free stuff in the process right???!!!)

Here is the challenge: I want to see if I can get 2011 cards ordered. That's right you read that correctly. TWO THOUSAND AND ELEVEN CARDS! I want to see if I can break my holiday card-making record! So, here is the deal...please email, facebook, call or text me with how many cards you would like to order. When you place an order and submit your payment, I will include your name in a drawing. I will ONLY draw winners when I have reached card orders totaling 2011 cards so get your orders in soon!

First place winner will receive a FREE 12x12 SCRAPBOOK-value of $400 (all you have to do is supply the pictures that you would like scrapbooked and I do everything else!!!!)

Second place winner will receive a $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE to be used on a future order!

Third place winner will receive a $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE to be used on a future order!

SO, now all YOU have to do is ORDER! And, remember, there are soooo many occasions for personalized cards! Holiday cards, birthday cards, thinking of you cards, invitations, birthday gifts, and the list goes on and on! Start making your list today and get your order in!

PLEASE pass this on to all of your friends and family!!!! :)

Two thousand and eleven cards....GO!

Stephanie

FRANNIE'S

816.674.5642

skmartin14@hotmail.com

Superhero Encounter!

So, this morning when I asked Nate to get dressed, it was no surprise that he picked his Batman shirt to wear. We left the house to go to the boys My Gym classes and then we had to run several errands. The boys had done exceptionally well all afternoon and our last stop was Target. As we were rolling through the aisles Nate saw some Batman underwear and asked if he could have them. Usually, when we are in a store I don't buy him something just to get it for him, but he had done well all afternoon AND he was asking for underwear, not a toy! So, I said, "Sure," and threw them in the cart. However, every aisle we found ourselves in there was of course many more things that Nate wanted (no surprise there). Finally I said (which he hears a lot), "Nate if you do not have an attitude of gratitude and if you aren't appreciative of what I am getting you, then I will take it away. If I hear you ask for one more thing, you will NOT get your Batman underwear." However, Nate did not heed my advice and on the very next aisle I heard, "Mom I want that! LOOK! Mom can I get that??!!" And, with that, we were in the check-out aisle where I graciously handed the girl his underwear and said, "We are not getting these today."

I explained to Nate once again the reason why he was no longer getting the underwear. But, he was still upset and was letting out a good wail of a cry from the cart. Right then a lady got behind us in the check-out lane. She said, "Hey buddy, why are you upset?" Nate said, "My Mom took my underwear away!" I am not sure the lady really understood what had gone down but she was great at distracting the situation and said, "Who's on your shirt? Is that BATMAN??!!! Guess what? I KNOW BATMAN!!!" Nate calmed down and had a curious look on his face. Just then her cell phone rang and she said, "I bet this is him!! BATMAN??? Is that you??!!" Nate was REALLY curious now and leaned in over the cart a bit towards the lady. I was paying for my purchase when I heard her say, "Hey Batman, I am at the store and this little boy is upset, can you talk to him?" And, with that, she held her cell phone by Nate's ear. Now I have NO IDEA who this gentleman was but it was very sweet for him to play along and humor his girlfriend/wife/friend/whoever. He said something like, "Hey there buddy, don't be upset and listen to your Mom." Nate tried to push sympathy on Batman by explaining the situation...that his mom had taken his underwear but Batman told Nate that he had to go to fight bad guys. I said a big thank you to the lady in line and as we were riding off Nate said, "Mom I got to talk to BATMAN!!!! He was real!!!!!!!"

Wherever you are Batman...THANKS!!!

Batman underwear...$5.99

Target purchase...$23.00

Talking to Batman on the phone...Priceless.

Dedication to my sweet Grandma

Flora Elizabeth Tayloe

(Nate called her Grandma Gigi!)

November 26, 1926-August 19, 2011

I wrote and read a poem for my Grandpa at his funeral last year,

so I wanted to do the same for my Grandma.

My Grandma Flora was by far

the best of the best,

I know I may be quite biased,

But I think she stood above all the rest.

She was a wife and a homemaker

and a mother to four,

Two children here on earth

and two that went to heaven's door.

She was a staple to the Owensville community

and definitely a friend to all,

whether she was helping her Maytag man,

or answering an ambulance call.

When our family was over to visit,

she rarely would sit down to rest,

always catering to other people

or jumping to clean up a mess.

Smuckers will never hold a candle

to my Grandma's strawberry jam,

we loved it when we got our own jars,

no doubt, the recipe was a hit with the fam.

I will not forget her smile or laugh

or her chocolate chip cookies of course,

or the time she held my hand and cried with me

when my mom and dad ultimately got a divorce.

The memories of my sweet Grandma

will be forever etched in my mind,

She was a fixture of our family,

a woman who was loving, gentle, and kind.

It seemed like she was always in the car

going this way or that,

traveling with my Grandpa around the world

keeping track of his cowboy hat.

We spent many of our summer days

with our Grandma by our side,

whether it was hanging out at their place

or going around town for a ride.

She packed us picnics for the lake

and won prizes at the fair,

we played hundreds of games of Uno

and if we had a special event, she was always there.

We were spoiled in her presence

and a birthday she never forgot,

she was so proud of every one of us

and we knew we were loved a lot.

She had a great faith in God

and was in the Word everyday,

she was sensitive to the hurts of all

and to Jesus she would pray.

My Grandma collected angels

of different shapes and every size,

but now she's got wings of her own

no trinket can compare to heaven's prize.

I've been told I have my Grandma's complexion

but I can only hope I have her heart too,

things will not be the same without her,

Grandma, rest in peace, I love you.

Tayloe Ceremony-July 29, 2011

After 7 years of being together, my brother and Joshua finally made it official in a beautiful ceremony in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Thankfully we had gotten home just days before we flew off to Massachusetts so Xander was able to go with us! He was an absolute rock star on the trip and slept on all of the flights! Unfortunately, Nate was not with us...we had arranged for him to stay with Papa and Grandma long before we had even found out that we would have Xander. Originally, Jeremy and I were going to make it a getaway trip for us but it was definitely a blessing to have our plans changed a bit. :)

We had a blast in "anything goes" Provincetown. It was a quaint and unique town and we enjoyed shopping, eating, and spending time with friends and family. We also went on the BEST whale-watching trip EVER...it was nothing short of amazing and we are thrilled to have a DVD from the trip that documents our adventure! We love Scott and Joshua so much and we were honored to be a part of their special weekend.

My toast at the wedding to the couple:

"As many of you know, my brother and I are super close. There are not many brothers who would go to their sister's baby shower, and there are not many sisters who would go to their brother's bachelor party, but that's just how we roll. With all of our inside jokes and our Tayloe quirks, we knew that we would both have to find someone special to put up with both of us. I was blessed to find Jeremy and Scott found his special someone with Joshua. When my brother commits, he commits 100%, whether be at work, in a friendship, a relationship...or with a plate of lasagna! He is the most loyal, honest, handsome, and one of the funniest guys I have ever known. Scott and Joshua compliment each other well and I am constantly amazed at Joshua's creativity, talent, style, and his ability to do EVERYTHING. My brother is one of my best friends and I have often joked with Joshua that he is the best sister-in-law ever. To Scott and Joshua: May your life be filled with love, laughter, and learning. Love one another, laugh a lot, and learn from mistakes. Please raise your glasses with me in celebrating the Tayloes! Congratulations!"

Sweet moments...

All dressed up for church!

First time bath at HOME!

My close friends threw me a baby shower when I got home!

One of my friends, Katy, made this amazing diaper cake!

There's NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!! :)

WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!!!!!!!!!

We finally got the long anticipated call this past Thursday allowing us to cross over the state line! What a wonderful feeling! I was super grateful to have a roof over our heads in St. Louis but there is just nothing like coming home! It was great to sleep in my own bed, kiss my boys, show Xander his room, and hug BO! Even though it was a long process, it was definitely worth it!!!!!! Nate loves being a big brother and we sure love our two boys!!!! God is so very good!!!!

Court over, but still waiting...

Nate LOVES being a big brother!

Xander is getting so big! At 6 weeks, he is already 11 lbs!

Waiting to go into court! We 'dressed' Xander up in his cute little tie shirt!

Court with Xander and 'Momma Molly' on June 13!

We are sooo in love with our sweet baby! Xander is so awesome and we are still in awe that he is here! Today he is officially six weeks old! It is crazy how fast it has gone! Yet, in some ways...it has been slow! We finally went to court on June 13 and were granted custody of Xander and his official adoption date is set for January 18, 2012. Molly and her mom were there at court with us and it was really special having them there with us. It is amazing how our families have united and the friendships that have been formed between us all. It is nothing short of a "God-thing". Anyway, we were under the impression that after court we would be able to go home. However, that was not the case. The State of MO then had to petition the State of KS to give us permission to head back over the state line. We were told this was a fairly quick process but unfortunately, we are still waiting and it has been almost a week. I totally understand and respect the protocol but it has been very hard being away from home for 6 weeks. Needless to say Xander and I are doing our best but I am super homesick and sooo ready to take Xander home! It is just a matter of the State of KS calling us to give us clearance so here's to hoping that the call comes SOON!