If this doesn't get you in the 4th of July spririt- I do not know what will!

Untitled from Melanie Marsh on Vimeo.


Jack last year on the fourth of July. He is sitting with "Uncle Randy". Man he has changed SOOOO much since then! I am getting excited to see what he thinks of the "crackers" this year!

Where the Boat Leaves From

There are lots of things that we do when we go on the boat....cook, eat, float, refreshing beverages.....

One thing that always happens is music!

Blu fits right in!

Sista

Today I am linking up at Kelly's Korner for the ever popular Show Us Your Life...Show Us your Singles!

I am taking the opportunity to share with you my talented and GAW-GEOUS sister!

Meet Kelly

Beautiful



Stylish

Easy going and best of all FUN!



My sister Kelly is the greatest gal I know! Sista, Sister, KK...call her what you will...she is definitely my best friend. She is a southern girl through and through. Beautiful, fun, easy going, smart, hardworking, resourceful and active in her church.
She is quite a catch!
I know that God has the perfect man in His plan for her!
If you are interested or know a single who might be interested....email me at
pickletreedesigns@gmail.com
and I will try to work an little matchmaking magic!

Happy Campers Report Here!

In the midst of all of my sewing, living, working...I am trying to plan a birthday party extravaanza for Blu's 3rd birthday! It is coming up in a few weeks and I have been gathering and sorting and mailing in preparation! SO far- this is the invitation....LOVE. IT! I ordered the design from etsy in this cute shop! You should check it out! There are all sorts of adorable printables. She also does return address stamps- I have my eye on one for the PickledBlu family FOR SURE!

We are doing a pool party at the lakeside private park that we are members of. I am pretty much going all out! There are two cabins rented for the entire week leading up to the party and I am taking off work and all the nieces and nephews will be partying at the pool for the whole week before. Quality time is my love language so I CANNOT WAIT!

Jack and I were watching "Jack" movies last night... ( his new favorite past time) and I came across this....It blows my mind how much can change on one year. This "Jack movie" is from his birthday last year- love the uncontrollable laughter!


Untitled from Melanie Marsh on Vimeo.

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

That's what little boys are made of...and big boys too!
We had a great Father's Day! It started off perfectly...with me sleeping in. Big D, Blu, and Grandpa were off at the warehouse fetching the boat. I leisurely got out of bed and got a special breakfast of smoked sausage and blueberry pancakes ready just in time for when the boys got back!
We got ready and then we all headed out on the lake. It was a HOT one...so me and Blu and Big D spent a lot of time in the water...until I felt something tap my toe. I am a skiddish one when it comes to the lake. So, while Dan worked on a couple of things on board, I sat on the swim platform and helped  Blu crawl in and out of the water.
Not sure why, but I scanned the water at some point and what did I see?
A snake.
A SNAKE!
It was slithering on top of the water straight at us and it was bright orange. It is amazing what motherhood has done to me. I very calmly ( and loudly) yell to Big D that there was a snake in the water as I simultaneously yanked Jack up by his life jacket. Once all our toes were in the water, we sat and watched amazed as this bright orange thing slithered all the way to the other bank and crawled out draping itslef across the rocks to sun......

YUCK!

I have not been able to get that darn thing out of my head. Lucky for you, I have no pictures to attach.
I like to read, but I need a visual sometimes too, so until I can get the video of Blu singing "Chicken Fried" by "brown" as he calls Zac Brown while he marches up and down the length of the boat patting his knee, please enjoy this shot of my baby Blu at the zoo last week!

By the way...anyone have any clue what kind of snake that could have been?

What I Do ( wait a minute...what do I do?) The Pickle Tree

What I make and sell are handmade gifts for children and adults in my Etsy shop, The Pickle Tree.

Getting to this shop has been an evolution of art and different loves and interests combined with neccessity!

I started mostly painting. I did murals, canvas and letter art for kids, hair bow holders....

I always sewed a little too. Mostly home decor stuff for myself, but occasionally for other people.

This is my son's nursery. I made the curtains and I slipcovered the swivel rocker!

 It was when I started the ornaments that the Pickle Tree started taking shape.

 The ornament thing started small and them grew and grew.

I had to start figuring out how to ship them all over the country!

I figured if I could master shipping all that glass, I could handle an etsy shop!

I made this set of owls and canvas name art for one of my girlfriends' babies, and it was one of the first items that I listed in my etsy shop!

I started trying to take better pictures for the shop ( with help from my faithful sidekick)

Then, in November 2010, I got my embroidery machine.

bib and bloomer 1st birthday smash cake set

I went crazy after that. The Pickle Tree morphed more into clothing. I still do some painting...

but it is mostly sewing.

personalized aprons....

crayon aprons...

Crayon keepers for the boys...

Half ruffle aprons for the big girls....

Then came the full outfits....I am loving it!

The pillowcase dress...a staple in every little girls wardrobe!

Coordinating sibling clothes....

The ever popular reversible pinafore!

Of course my twin nieces get pillowcase dresses- made to coordinate with my sons seersucker shorts and matching t-shirt!

I love working with Amy Butler fabrics and doing custom orders!

This is a Pickle Tree original, designed by me! The ribbon knot halter dress!

Then, a friend of mine asked if I would do these towels. She sent me a picture of one she had seen in a shop.

Boy do I owe her one....The build your own towel was born and The Pickle Tree has not come up for air since!

As with everything else, I can customize to fit your needs!

Team spirit....

New baby gifts....

Boys...

preppy...

bridesmaids.....

It has been a wild fun ride. Thanks for all of your support. I look forward to The Pickle Tree's continuing success!

I am taking a week off in June and one week in July, so if you hit my shop during that time, never fear! I will be back.....

There is lots to see in my etsy shop, but I am not limited to what you see there...need something? Ask me!

Go "like" the Pickle Tree on facebook to see all of the latest pictures and ideas! Coming, soon, ready to ship deals will be seen ONLY on facebook!

Thanks to Kelly's Korner for allowing us to "show you our life! what we make/sell" today! I cannot wait to see all of the cool things!

Sweet Summer Time

I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed the past couple of days. Monday and Tuesday I stayed at home with Jack. We were not sick, we had no where to go. Mrs. Kim is on vacation, so I just used that as an excuse to be at home. Just "being" is something that I rarely make time for. We are a very social family. Always on the go. Always somewhere to be, whether it is a want or a need, it seems as though we never stop. I suppose that is the way of the world these days. I am not a huge fan of it, but I go with it so I don't get left in the dust!
Monday, Jack and I woke up at home, with no where to be. We got our little selves sun screened up and dressed for the pool, and went out to Cushing Park for a little swimming. It was just the two of us there for the longest time. It was so quiet and peaceful. Eventually some more people joined us and it was fun, but not long after, we headed home. He did not fall asleep in the car on the way home, (I think you moms know where I am going with this) which was great! That meant he would nap when we got home! I indulged myself in a nap while he napped. We woke refreshed and went out to play the afternoon away. I addressed birthday invites on the screen porch while he played. Later, he played in the sprinkler as I watered the flowers out back. Daddy worked late, so we bathed and snuggled and watched Caillou "on the computer" his new favorite past time!
Tuesday, we got up and got going and went to the zoo with Ashley and Caroline, our neighbors. Jack has been asking to go and since we have a membership, I obliged. He was a very good boy and even though I pulled a muscle in my back unloading the dishwasher that morning, I powered through and we had a great time!  ( you can call me mamaw) As luck would have it, again, he made it all the way home without falling asleep. I sewed a little while he napped and nursed my aching back. When he woke, I made a point of having a lazy loungy afternoon (so I could rest my back) and he watched TV and played with his MANY MANY toys that we are never home for him to actually play with!
AHHHHHH....sound like bliss? Well to me, it was, but today it is back to the grind, back to work, back to sewing- I have a lot of work to do!
Jack is in good hands. Grandma and Grandpa arrived shortly after Jack went to bed last night ready for their shift for the week! Jack was so excited when I told them they were there this morning! Even though it is back to work, being able to leave Jack at home shaves about 30 minutes off my commute so whoop whoop!
Happy Summer to me!

Loving the Lake

One might say I am a bit behind on a Memorial Day weekend post, and they would be right, so I am going to keep it sort of neutral and pretend it is just a weekend at the lake for the sake of making myself feel more on top of things!

Being on the lake is one of summer's sweet pleasures that we enjoy as a family. Of course, it goes without saying that three day weekends make it all the sweeter!

And when  KK and Grace come over from Alabama, to join in the family fun, why it is almost too much sweetness to bear! We had a ball ya'll!

Blu was adamant that he was not going to get in the water because it was too cold! How funny is that? We eased him in by letting him "float" with us. Poor kid was so tired- we went full speed all weekend and he is still a 2-3 hour napper!

Tubing with daddy and Grace!

These guys were a lot tougher than I expected! I figured they would be calling it quits much sooner than they did. Big D was not exactly taking it easy on them. Wonder how sore they were the next day?

This shot is a little blurry, but it was the best one that I got!

Grace and Jack did a LOT of this...she would swim around and he would watch and play on the tube. He has not ventured out much into the lake, yet. I have to say, it was still a little cold in the water that day!

My precious niece, Grace. I cannot believe how big she is getting! She is about to have her dance recital where she will be performing in 3 numbers. I cannot wait to see her! I hear she is a little star and I BELIEVE it!

Rayna and Randy are our boating buddies and dear friends.

This is the notorious "Uncle Bad Guy".

Well, we had a couple of hungry people so out came dinner! We did burgers the night before, so I was looking for something a bit lighter. I am a person who could eat Mexican food 3 times a day EVERY day!

Quesadillas are an easy go to meal for me that I LOVE!

Last summer we bought this Coleman 3 in one thing and we have LOVED it! Obviously we grill on it, but the griddle has been fantastic too! We have done pancakes for breakfast when we spent the night and it was a natural for the quesadillas. I did not grill my own chicken and went with the super easy deli type "grilled" chicken. I got the southwestern style, melted a little cheese in there, and served it up with sour cream and salsa. YUM!

My little gentleman....he makes a momma proud!

We are members at a lakeside park so while the boys put the boat away, me and KK and the kids played!

WEEEEEEEE

It blows my mind that my Blu is big enough for a big boy swing....shouldn't he still be in a baby swing?

Whoops- this one is a bit out of order, but see.....I was there!

Now, back to the park. These cousins ADORE each other!

Can anyone tell me where I saw these? Somewhere in blog land, but I cannot remember so I cannot credit?

These were a BIG hit! I made them for the Jimmy Buffett concert ( cheeseburgers in paradise) and they made an encore performance for the kids on Memorial Day weekend. SO cute and believe it or not...they were delicious too!

Ahhh vell.....this past as well as this coming up weekend will be boatless as we have other commitments, but I look forward to hitting the water again SOON!