Giving Back

I have taken on a big project....and I am so excited. Not the best time for me to be taking on something like this, but this feels really good. It gives the holidays a whole new meaning.......! Making people happy, people who don't have much.

I am working hard on this .... I will have more details and pictures very very soon!

true love

I received my true love in the mail box yesterday!!!! I ordered myself a little xmas gift, you know for all the shopping I have to do!!! I wanted to show you just how cute my true love is....

I got her here and I think it will be the best gift I will get all year !!!!

Holiday heart warmers...............

Searching the world of blogs..........these are some of my favorite things relating to christmas.

holiday boutique

i did my first holiday boutique last week........happy to say it was successful. i sold a lot! but most of all i received very postive feedback. I can't wait till my next show. in the meantime here are some photos from the show......i will be selling some items on etsy sometime this week.

Vendoring

Tomorrow morning when I wake up I will be faced with doing my first show as a vendor of handmade crafts..........i am nervous.

i love to create things...........i have been so inspired by her . She is my BCF (best cyber friend).

i have a two day show......at a yacht club (oh a little bit more scary)!

my car is packed and i am as ready as I will ever be...months and months of crafting. messes all over the house....and now a little bit of stress.

wish me luck!

too cute baking items

Just for fun......

The little girls and I made this cake for my son's 16th birthday.

I found the whimsical accessories on this website.

Wouldn't this be fun for the bride to be?

I bought these to make Happy cupcakes.

or sexy cupcakes?

love all of these.........

Did I mention the prices are great?

apples

I love fall...........fresh apples! So many things to do with apples. Yummy!

"Slimming" Black Rooms

While seeking inspiration for interior colors, I have often read that one must simply open the doors to her closet. The color of clothes that you tend to gravitate towards is the secret to painting a room that will soothe and comfort you.

For years I have opened that closet door hoping to find the right color to paint my rooms.....denim (I don't even really like blue and NOTHING in my house is blue) or black! Everything else in my closet is Black! I could never paint a room that color.........for heaven's sake - my room doesn't need to "look slimming".

Well think again I tell myself.......! You don't have to live in a loft in SoHo or be a total Goth to use black in interior design.

I love these rooms.......in one word: G L A M !

I bet her and Becks have a posh black room in one of their homes!

What a Give Away

I just found this blog.........and I love the giveaway.............go fast check it out!

Have you ever been "booed"?

It's time for some "booing fun". To "boo" someone is simple!

First, make a sign! And thanks to Cindy at Skip to my Lou. You can make this cute sign in about 2 minutes.

You can download Cindy's sign here.

Once you have downloaded ...... print the sign out. I just used plain white typing paper.

I then cut off the white edges and applied spray adhesive to fuse the sign to purple cardstock. Next - fold in half.

I then cut along the dotted line, following it to the circle. Continue to cut out the circle (this is necessary so that the sign can hang from the door knob).

I embellished mine with purple, orange and green ribbons.

Once your sign is complete.......gather up some goodies and assemble.

As soon as it gets dark out. Place your package at the "lucky" receipents door........ring the doorbell and run!!!!

The person who has been "booed" turns around the sign to announce that they have been hit by the halloween ghost (instructions are on the sign).......and then it is their turn to "boo" two more people.

Have fun!!! And thanks Cindy for the cute door hanger - much cuter than the xerox copy of a ghost that has been floating around my neighborhood for the past 6 years!!

Back....I am Back

I have so many excuses why I haven't blogged in months..........but I am back and to prove it I am posting just a quick little post!

Happy 16th Birthday to my son Michael.........!!! Hope you enjoyed the cake created by your little sisters.

Not sure what his plans were for that little innocent dwarf.........

Halloween Party Ideas.

I am having a Halloween Party - the theme is Haunted Mansion. I am going to transform my entire home into a haunted spooky mansion. I think my guest list will reach at least 60 (adults only) YIKES!!!

Today I scoured the Salvation Army for whatever I could find.........and I found her. They didn't want to sell her to me, they said she was a store display (c'mon a store display in the salvation army???) . She is so perfectly worn out that her head droops down into a very scary postion. I had to have her so I worked on them and they finally agreed..... an incredibly creepy old lady to spook out my guests. I named her Gertie ~ short of course, for Gertrude.


Now, I am trying to think of subtle way to incorporate her into my spooky mansion. any suggestions?

actually I would love to hear any of your ideas to help make my haunted mansion party a success!

Until then, I would like to introduce you to Gertie.........

and check out those shoes.....

The Halloween Queen

Love this !!!

Today I discovered this wonderful blog!!! I am now ready to start decorting for halloween using this blog as my inspiration..........I think that Vanessa is the Queen of Halloween.

These spectacular spooky potion labels are available here.

ENJOY!!

Mom's "Labor" Day Off

Once a year my husband takes the kids to Cedar Point.

I despise amusement parks!

The kids can't wait for this annual outing.

Now that they are a little older, my husband, who apparently doesn't mind long lines, and having his face pulled back on a terrorizing (I mean thrilling) ride that brings up the days greasy fly infested lunch and then abruptly drops his heart into his knickers loves amusment parks. Therefore, he willingly takes the children on his own. Leaving me with a peaceful day all my own....in other words, my day off.

Yipee for all of us.

I also find it remarkably appropriate that my day off always occurs sometime during the Labor Day weekend. I have unofficially declared this holiday my holiday around here! Afterall, it was I that was in "labor" 6 times, thus creating this family! right?


The door just closed and the car is pulling out of the driveway. I am laying back in bed wondering what I shall do today. Last year I did this:












Today, on the other hand I have no plans. I have 100 things roaming through my mind, shopping, cleaning, organizing, getting things ready for back to school, crafting, manicure, going to the pool ALONE, making (and attempting to can) homemade salsa.......hmmm, what shall a girl do?

At the moment I am laying in bed with my laptop ~ blogging (duh!) ... did I mention I like morning naps? So until I decide....I think I will catch a quick nap.

Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on what this girl did (or didn't) do on her day off!

Spicen things up in the kitchen!

Have you ever felt as if you were making the same meal over and over and over again? That is how I have been feeling lately.

I think I need to spice things up in the kitchen! No, not that kind of spicen up.

(///SLAP\\\)

What I mean, is I need some good easy and fast recipes for my family! If anyone wants to share one or two recipes with me I would be so so so grateful and so would my family.

Not my typical Saturday Night

Usually my husband and I get together with friends for a few drinks on a Saturday night.

Not tonight. Tonight is the night before we send our oldest daughter off to college. Although, she is out with her friends and we could have snuck away ~ I just didn't feel like it.

Oh YES. My daughter and I have had some "rough" teenage years. I thought that might make this moment a bit easier, but guess what? It doesn't. I am so sad that she is leaving tomorrow. I just can't believe that 18 years could have gone by so quickly.

I am both excited and nervous for her. It brings back my own memories of when I went away to college. I remember my parents pulling away and the tears rolling down my face. In one minutes time, they were gone and I was left on my own. My saving grace was that my best friend who I had grown up with my entire life was right there with me - my roommate. I was not really alone.

Unfortunately, my daughter doesn't have that. She is going to meet her roommate tomorrow when they move in together. Complete strangers, from totally different backgrounds. I worry that they may not get along - I worry that she may need me to help get her books, to rearrange her schedule before classes start. What if she needs a notebook, a pencil, a toothbrush? What if she is so scared and lonely? so many What if's..... and so many worries.

On the other hand, I am sure that these will be some of the best times of her life. She has worked very hard to get into the school that she has always wanted to attend. She will grow into an even more beautiful and mature person. I am confident that she will embrace these times and make the best of her education. These are the things that I will focus on. These are the things that make me able to let her go.

Eighteen years of her life sit in a pile in my garage at the moment. I look at this pile, and although it breaks my heart ~ it also warms my heart for the bright future that she has ahead of her. We will pack her life into the car in the morning and embark on the 90 minute drive to East Lansing.....
Part of me thinks my job is done, but I know a parent's job is never done. It is just a new phase ~ an ending and a beginning. One I will face when I wake up tomorrow morning!

Good Luck at Michigan State Brianna We love you and we will always be here whenever you need us!!!