one more sleep.

guess what!!!

momma will be here first thing in the morning!!!

{her flight gets here around 9:15ish.}

sorry i didn't update yesterday's post.

soon...i promise.

i had a great birthday!!!

pics coming yalls way.

and thanks for all the awesome birthday wishes.

i ♥ my bloggy pals.

breithlá shona dhuit.

it's my birthday and i'll blog if i want to

blog if i want to

blog if i want to

tehehe.

so here it is.

i'm 26.

wow.

i'll let you know if i feel any different when i wake up in the morning.

lol.

so yes...updates coming soon to a blog near you.

p.s. momma will be here in '1 and a wake up'

waving goodbye to 25.

this is me...summer 1997...in colorado.
i was 15.

enlight of turning 26 tomorrow i started to ponder things.
have i ever mentioned that i'm a thinker???

so i started thinking...what all has happened between 15-25???

this blog comes with a warning:
i might get seriously choked up here, i already feel the lump in my throat and everything.
:O)

the summer of 97'
this was physically the last time i laid eyes on my {half} brother & sister.
sad i know.
{long story short...nasty divorce between my daddy & stepmother.}
but nonetheless, here i am.

98' & 99'
basic teenage stuff.
thought i found the love of my life, only to find out the hard way that he SO was NOT.
tehehe.

spring 2000:
i met and fell in love with shane!!!
{here comes the crying part.}
i met him one saturday afternoon at a mutual friend's house.
he was in the service {usmc} and just happened to be there on leave.
long story short...shane became more than my best friend.
he became my everything.
i ♥ shane with all that i am, because he made me who i am.

2001:

i became a mom!!!

shane jackson griffith

2002:

shane came home from the service!!!

2003:

just enjoyed shane being home all the time.

2004:

shane & i FINALLY tied the knot.

i know we did things backwards, but it worked for us!!!

{please don't be one of those people that email me and preach to me about it.}

2005:

i became a mommy AGAIN!!!

melanie nicole griffith

2006:

{11 months later to be exact}

i became mommy times 3!!!

so to go along with my love of all things irish...i offically had irish twins!!!

andrew jay griffith.

2007:

went by SO fast that i'm wondering where the time has gone!!!

present day:

shane & i have been together for 8+ years.

jackson is 7 years old.

we have been married for 4+ years.

melanie will turn 3 in december.

andrew will be 2 in november.

and you know when i look back on the last 10+ years, it amazes me!!!

of course there are a million tiny details in all those years.

but the most important stuff is there.

my family. the people that make rachel...well rachel.

sorry i went all sentimental on yall.

but it was in my heart to do so.

and with that being said:

there's only 1 more day until my 26th birthday!!!

and momma will be here in '2 and a wake up'

it's the final countdown.

it's the final countdown!!!

*que the band europe*

there's only 2 days until my 26th birthday!!!

and momma will be here in '3 and a wake up'

hi-5!!!

wham bam thank you mam.

how fun is this???

basically you go to this website and type in your url...

and wham bam thank you mam...you have your very own word cloud.

i thought that mine was pretty darn nifty.

{click on the pic to make it bigger.}

pay attention to the top left corner.

i think it's hilarious that is says:

"gonna hit momma"

omg!!! i know!!!

i would never hit my momma, but it made me laugh!!!

i love you momma!!!

yall should make one.

even if it's just to have a laugh like i did.

p.s. there's only 3 days until my 26th birthday!!!
{and momma will be here in '4 and a wake up'}
woot woot!!!

let the good times roll.

pat sloan is having a virtual weekend retreat!!!

we will be 'retreating' together friday september 26th to sunday sept 28th.

fun. fun. fun.

did i mention that she even does prizes???

wanna join us...go here for the info.

{or hit the button on my sidebar.}

also nanette is hosting a christmas cottage block exchange!!!
{it all started with this tutorial.}

this is her 1st time hosting a swap...so let's make it a good one for her!!!

wanna join us...go here for the info.
{or hit the button on my sidebar.}

have yall seen that martha stewart has a blog???
check it out!!!
{just go here.}

p.s. there's only 4 days until my 26th birthday!!!

{and momma will be here in '5 and a wake up'}

and i'm getting SUPER antsy!!!

thank you! thank you! thank you!

rachel's acceptance speech for the primitive excellence award:

thank you! thank you! thank you!

i can hardly conjugate verbs! i just feel SO lucky!

and this award is SO...unexpected.

oh thank you again!

i just want everyone to read it in bloglines, that even in my bloggiest of times,

i never would have imagined that this could ever liberate me from bloggedy blog blog blog.

you know, there are SO many people that i want to thank!

first off though, i'd like to thank the academy molly, who looked deep within her blogroll before giving me this fantastic award.

also, i want to think the irish for making me SO lucky.

and to momma, who taught me to take writing by the pint of guinness horns.

and finally, to all my fellow bloggers - i couldn't have done it without yall.

*que the 'hurry up and finish' orchestra*
thank you blogland. and goodnight.

p.s. there's only 5 days until my 26th birthday!!!
{and momma will be here in '6 and a wake up'}

rachel's yummy pumpkin bread.

what y'all will need:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar {any darkness}
4 egg whites, divided
1/2 cup milk {optional...depends on if you want a thicker bread or not.}
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg {8oz.} cream cheese; softened

preheat oven to 350'
grease and sugar 9x5-inch loaf pan, set aside.

mix pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 of the egg whites, milk {opt.} and oil in large bowl.
add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; stir just until moistened. set aside.

in a separate bowl beat cream cheese, remaining 2 tbsp granulated sugar and the remaining egg white until blended.

spoon 1/2 of the pumpkin batter into prepared pan; spoon cream cheese mixture over the batter.
cover with remaining pumpkin batter.

bake for 1 hour.
{or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.}
run knife around around edges of pan to loosen bread; cool in pan completely.

slice and serve.
this is addicting.
you have been warned.

hope y'all enjoy.

xo, rachel

fall is in the air.

oh the weather is SO up my alley right now.

did i mention how much i love fall???

:D

i haven't touched any quilting projects all weekend.

i've just been basking in the glory of this weather.

{and went to jackson's football game saturday...they won!!!}

be rest assured i'll be picking up some kind of neddle & thread...SOON.

tomorrow i'm gonna make my yummy pumpkin bread!!!

recipe coming soon to a blog near you.

p.s. there's only 7 days until my 26th birthday!!!
{and momma will be here in '8 and a wake up'}

bergdorf blondes.

last night i finished 'bergdorf blondes' by plum sykes.

i stinkin' loved it...très awesome...the perfect book for moi.

i've wanted to read it forever, but never bought it.

well then pat put it on her book club list and voilà...it was mine.

i highly recommend it...but only if you like writers with witty attitudes.
so if you love my blog, then you'll probably love this book.

tehehe.

wonder what i'll read next...

any suggestions???

p.s. there's only 8 days until my 26th birthday!!!

{and momma will be here in '9 and a wake up'}

jack o' lantern pie...and then some.

our jack o' lantern pie was yummy!!!

and of course the kids loved it!!!

when i make pie crust i always have to make the hubby my cinnamon rolls.

they are his fav!!!

lookie what i got the mail!!!

remember that giveaway i won???

well i got this from shannon...and it's SUPER cute...and cuddly.

{thanks shannon.}

and this is the start of dr. nolan's quilt. it is SO not that blue...stupid camera!!!

p.s. there's only 9 days until my 26th birthday!!!
{and momma will be here in '10 and a wake up'}

happy fall yall.

happy fall yall.

today is my 75th post!!!

here in ohio it looks, feels, and smells like fall.

that's why i wanted to share some fall eye candy with yall.

so my house is being attacked by pumpkins.

they've been spotted everywhere!!!

{and this is just SOME of them.}

tehehe.

and i just wanna say that my camera is NOT playing nice with others!!!

like in the first picture...that quilt has the best colors and you can't even tell it.

{to see a much better picture of it...go here.}

guess what i'm making for supper tonight...jack o' lantern pie.

more on the tomorrow. promise.

p.s. there's only 10 days until my 26th birthday!!!

{and momma will be here in '11 and a wake up'}