The End

After nearly two years, I am going to stop blogging here.

I have decided that there is a time and a place for everything,
and that right now I need to be in the moment and
that means away from the computer.

I am going to focus on the stuff that gives me great happiness,
which is rolling in the grass with my kids,
reading that book that has been on my nightstand for six months,
getting back to journaling on paper,
and compiling the kind of scrapbooks that
can be physically handed down to my kids.

It has been a fun and rewarding experience,
and a great pleasure to meet so many people with an affection for
children, crafting, photography, baking or birdwatching!

Here are a few of my favorite blogs, a short list of some
women who I call my dearest bloggy friends.
Stop in and say hello! You may come to find that
you look forward to their posts as much as I do.

Stephanie
Mrs. M.
Kim
Teresa
Sharon
Jayne


To all of my regular readers,
thanks for stopping by and becoming a part of the fabric of my life.

If you'd like to say goodbye, please do so here, and if
you'd like to keep in regular contact,
you can e-mail me here, at tuttalastoria at gmail dot com.

XOXO

-Allison

Hmmm . . . .

I'm just not feeling it -- blogging regularly. I don't think it gives me the joy that it used to. Maybe I need a summer break.

On the plus side, I am spending more time reading actual books.

This blog was always meant as an online scrapbook. Maybe its time to go back to hands-on scrapbooking.

I'm going to give it a break and see how I feel.

XOXO

Allison

A Stunning Cardinal

Just LOOK at this photo that Chris took!
(You have to click on it to enlarge it.)

I am just speechless.
In this case, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words!

An Overnight to Providence

On Thursday we headed to Providence, Rhode Island for an overnight trip. Our plan was to go to the Roger Williams Zoo on Friday if the weather was good.

We stayed at a Hilton in downtown and the kids got to play in the pool. Isn't Ella's bikini adorable?


We had a great dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then settled down early for the night. When you put your kids in bed by 8pm and you are in one room, that means the whole family goes to bed at the same time!

The next day we headed to the zoo--we were lucky, the weather held out and was sunny for our entire visit.


I am such a kid about going to the zoo--I really love it and am probably more excited than my kids are.


Some of the highlights of the visit were that we got to see the elephants being bathed--they laid down and had their backs scrubbed and really seemed to enjoy it!

There was also an indoor butterfly exhibit that was just amazing.


The butterflies were literally all around us--they would fly right past Ella's little nose. It was a great exhibit for her to see.


We had a great time and will definitely go back. And thanks to a short break in the weather, we were able to have a lovely, rain-free visit! (The minute we left the parking lot, the downpour began).


Of course, before we left Rhode Island, we stopped for a Del's Lemonade and clam fritters. It was a great mini-vacation!

Sweet Baby Ella

Just sharing a few sweet photos I took of Baby Sister yesterday.
She's so cute she makes my heart ache.