Fall Mantel Complete!

 I really like the way my fall mantel turned out this year. I especially love our family grateful tree. We have been adding leaves daily; there are so many things we have to be grateful for! My new yarn wreath was the perfect finishing touch!  I used acorns from our yard for the candle and for the base of the grateful tree. Mini pumpkins and gourds fill my hurricane vases. The mantel looks so pretty when the candles are lit. Happy Fall!

To Sit By My Grateful Tree!

Printed this on pretty card stock paper and used an old frame. Another great idea from Pinterest! I added some fall leaves on the corner to tie it in with my fall mantel theme. :)

My New Yarn Wreath!

So, I tried my hand at making the ever popular yarn wreath and I must say, I love how it turned out! My total cost was a little under $20. Items needed: two colors of yarn, some embellishments (2 flowers and a feather), and a wreath form. It took me about 3 hours to complete and I spread those hours out between two evenings. Thanks Pinterest for the great idea!

Visiting the Pumpkin Patch at the Arboretum

We met Aunt Nancy at the Arboretum Sunday afternoon. What a perfect day to visit the their pumpkin patch! Merit had a delightful time jumping off the bales of hay, climbing over the many varieties of pumpkins and looking at the pretty flowers. I was able to capture some of our fun. Merit moves pretty fast these days so taking pictures with him and of him has become a little more challenging. :) I believe this coming weekend is the last weekend for the pumpkin patch so if you still have a few days if you want to go. Dallas Arboretum

The Fountain

Merit is quite fascinated with the fountain in front of Dillard's at Northpark. He always wants to stop and watch. I guess when you are two it's the little things in life, right? When we first stop he is apprehensive. Then he grows more comfortable and then he doesn't want to leave. I love his facial expressions in these pics!

Acorns, Acorns and More Acorns!

Merit helped me gather acorns for some mantel decor. He kept saying, "another one Mommy", every time he found one. He put them one by one in his truck and I put mine in a cup. When we were done collecting we brought them inside and cleaned them off just a bit. My little helper...so sweet.

Painting My Pumpkin!

Debbie gave me the great idea of letting Merit paint his own pumpkin. So, I bought him a small pumpkin, got out the paints and let him go to town. Of course, there was much supervision involved. :) We painted outside and I had a towel down too. He had so much fun with this little activity! Thanks Debbie for the idea!

Fun Day with Ashleigh & Debbie!

Merit and Ashleigh played with puzzles.

 Ashleigh had fun riding around in Merit's car.

Ashleigh pushed Merit around the house.

I love this picture of sweet Ashleigh.

We looked for fall leaves so we could do a fall craft.

Merit insisted on bringing his truck inside filled with the leaves.

He continued playing with his truck and the leaves instead of participating in our craft. :( I was not happy about this!

 

 

My wonderful friend Debbie came over on Thursday. I didn't go to work because I could not move around very well due to the bone marrow biopsy. I didn't feel bad but just sore. Debbie brought me a Starbucks skinny latte and we had so much fun catching up. As you can tell from the pictures, Ashleigh and Merit and had a great time playing together. What a wonderful day! I am so blessed by good friends like Debbie!

Bone Marrow Biopsy Done & Update

Thank you so much for your prayers, phone calls and text messages. I feel incredible blessed to have to many people praying for me and my health. The bone marrow biopsy went very well. It was quite longer and more painful then I remembered but that is a good thing that I didn't remember exactly what it was like. :) I went in with a great attitude and was not dreading the test at all. I brought some wonderful scriptures with me on paper and written on my heart. Some of you sent me some great scriptures too and I appreciate that. Dr. Jurturi told my mom that I was a woman of great faith. What a compliment! I'm so thankful that I have had the opportunity to get to know her and share my faith with her. It's amazing how God works through his children. I read the scriptures aloud as she was performing the biopsy. :) She gave me some wonderful news too! She said that her purpose for doing the test was that in this last year since my diagnosis two other drugs have been developed and are being used with incredible success. She said that she wants to make sure she is doing all she can to get me to remission. The bone marrow test will give her a complete picture of where I stand and then she will know if I should continue taking Gleevec or try one of the knew drugs. The biopsy results will be back in 1 - 2 weeks. I will send out an email when I receive them. Thank you again so much for the prayers! Keep them coming!

Love,
Charissa

Fall Festival at PWood

Mimi dressed up for a costume contest at her office. Too funny!

Merit had so much fun petting the animals. He could have stayed here all night.

Merit and Ashleigh played all sorts of games together. Here they are pushing lawnmowers that blew bubbles.

Fishing game...paper fish with sweet Bible verses on each one.

Here they are digging for hidden treasures. Merit could have cared less about the treasures, he liked playing in the sand. :)

Cute pic...cute couple.

Ball toss...he loved this game!

My little pumpkin...not so little anymore. :(

Best friends x two. Can't imagine my life without Debbie and her wonderful family.

Last item of the night...a train ride! Wow!

What a fun way to spend Halloween! We met Debbie, Ashleigh, Jon and the rest of their family at Prestonwood for the Fall Festival. Merit had a fantastic time riding in his car, playing fun games and getting candy too! His costume turned out cute and I'm already thinking about next year. Hummm...my wheels are turning. :)