Getting Ready for the HOLiDAYS...

So in getting ready for the upcoming holidays wouldn't it be fun to have this super cute apron? I mean baking/cooking in style always makes it more enjoyable! Now in the shop, just click here. How about a fun way to package a gift for that special someone? Not only is the wrapping easy and cute to boot, but it's recyclable. You can use it for the library, grocery store, maybe to hold some Christmas cards? Click here to purchase.

I am going to try to either A} make all my gifts, (which probably won't happen) & B} by from Etsy! Support handmade :)

BTW here is the best holiday recipe EVER and it's one of the easiest too. {I always make a ton of this and put it in tins to give to each family member when they visit! It usually is all eaten before they leave, I'm not joking!}

The Easiest Caramel Corn Ever

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup light or dark Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12-16 cups of popped popcorn (2 bags of microwave popcorn)

Directions:
Place the popped popcorn in a large brown paper sack. (I use unsalted and un-buttered microwavable popcorn for the quickest results.)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a 2 quart microwavable dish. Cook in microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir. Repeat. Remove from microwave and stir in the baking soda. After you've mixed all together pour the syrup over the popcorn. Close the paper sack and shake for about 1-2 minutes. Place the paper sack in the microwave and cook on high for 1 minute. Shake again and cook for another minute. Pour onto a cookie sheet and let cool. Don't eat this in one sitting :)

NOTE: Sorry I don't have a picture, I just made some, and it's already gone :)

What a weekend!

Hi all, Isn't this posy tote just too sweet! I just love it and if you just have to have it click here to purchase! Wouldn't it make a great gift for that girl in your life! Here I am making my first debut in the craft show arena! I had fun, got up way too early and sold a few things. Enough to make me happy :) Plus, I met 3 ladies that are on Etsy :) isn't that fun!

Not to mention I got this fun chair there too! This lady had loads of fun furniture in the corner, so before the show started I wandered around and I really wanted to go to the furniture corner, but new I wouldn't be able to afford anything, but want everything! Let's just say OH MY GOSH! Just guess how much I got this sweet chair for?

Have you figured it out yet? Only $10 can you believe it? It's sturdy and sits just as tall as my kitchen chairs, only the back doesn't go up as high! I now have given my dining room table back it's chair and claimed this one for my craft room :) Oh I love finding a great deal!

It Could be Worse...

I could be as frazzled as this sweetie! My oh my, what does my Addie do to this poor soul? Here's the new sign for my craft show. What do you think? I'm looking for your opinions and it did only take me most of my day to complete! So don't be too harsh :)
This is princess Alaina. Complete with a crown/flower, dress/receiving blanket and wand/my little pony pencil :)
I can't forget about Princess Addie complete with a crown/the most adorable hat you've ever seen(you either love it or hate it, I'm on the LOVE it side) and a dress/receiving blanket. She did have a wand too, it was a small broom. Oh my kids are so silly, but so much fun!

Everyone is starting to talk about the holidays and shopping, it's getting me so excited for the upcoming season! Although, the weatherman has predicted an early start to our snow. This Monday! YIKES!

Howdy FRiENDS!

So in my last post I stated that I am working like a mad woman to try and get ready for my very first upcoming craft show! I am so excited, a little nervous and feel that I am totally unprepared for what I'm about to deal with! I'm trying not to stress out about over stocking my booth, just with the way the economy is and one of my specialties is custom creating!

Anyways, if you live in the area come on over and meet me :) It's this Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 9-2pm. It's located at the Hamilton Middle School. In Hamilton, MI that is ;) Hope to see you there, and please introduce yourself!

FYi: What doesn't sell at the Craft Show, get ready for some super cute aprons, LiBRARY totes, a new and improved Christmas Tree Gift Box and that adorable Advent Cake to grace the shop come the beginning of next week!

Getting READY!

Hello everyone! I have been trying to create, create and create! The reason why? I have a craft show this coming Saturday!!!! My first one. My brain is going on the fritz I tells ya! So my good friend Kat gave me this fun idea for my cakes. An advent cake! Isn't that so cute!

I think it turned out super cute. Each slice is a different patterned paper. They will go in the shop after the craft show!
This is another fun thing I've been working on! They are LiBRARY totes. Perfect size to take to that fabulous place full of imagination! This is just one design. If you know me than you know that I don't like doing the same thing twice. It has to be slightly different!

So please excuse me if I'm a little more absent than normal this week! On top of that I have two sick girls! No fun!!!

It's that time of year....

...scarf season that is! Every once in awhile you will find me bragging up one of my family members! Today is one of those days. I've known her...well, all of my life. We've always been told that we look like twins. We've fooled many lovely people, including our parents :) Oh the fun we use to have. I don't know if anyone else did this, but we would have fake names for ourselves! Mine was Mandy and hers was Randy. I think we got these names from the series of Tween books titled, "Double Trouble". (In the late 80's early 90's for those of you who are curious!) Anyways, it's cheesy I know, but we had fun! Let me introduce her to you. Her name is Lacey. She's a doll face and I love her dearly! She is one of the most talented people I know. She draws beautiful pieces of art and she is a very creative 'yarn maker'. That I'm sure in the technical name :) Anyways, here are a few of her latest creations of yarn she spun and dyed with her own hands! Not only can your scarves be handmade, but so can the yarn!!! You can find all of her beautiful yarn in her Etsy shop Moonrover. So why don't you go over and see what she has available! Aren't these just beautiful?!

This gorgeous piece is actually sold, but look at the detail. Not only can she spin it, but she can knit it! What a gal! If you want to keep up on her daily life you can also visit her here too!

Just wondering? Do you want to know anything about me that I haven't already told you. Looking for some different things to post about and I'm running out of ideas!

TGiF...

Today has been a busy day. This post is inspired by Bethany over at Graham Cracker Crumbs.

Today I ignored my alarm clock.

Today I woke up 45 minutes late.

Today I rushed around and got the kids in the van.

Today we ate breakfast in the car. Does anyone else do that?

Today I enjoyed my 45 minute commute while listening to kids music and my girls giggling.

Today I went to the library and returned some DVDs.

Today I shipped out my Etsy orders.

Today I went to some garage sales. Didn't find anything good enough to buy!

Today I went to Hobby Lobby :) I love that place!

Today we went to McDonald's.

Today I watched Addie ride her new FREE bike around the empty parking lot while waiting for Alaina to get out of school.

Today Addie fell asleep in the van, before Alaina's school got out :)

Today I did some of my bible study.

Today I enjoyed a quiet 45 minute commute back home! :)

Today...

So far that is how my day has gone. Interesting I know :) and it's only half over!

I'm so very happy it is Friday!!!! What do you all have planned for the weekend? We are going to be changing banks, organizing the house (big job), cutting my hubby's hair, crafting, laundry, playing outside with the kids and hopefully getting some me time too! Enjoy your weekend!

Random PiCK...

Well today I randomly picked a lucky gal to win my oh so sweet Christmas tree boxes! She is...

...Bethany...

Congratulations my dear! Just go ahead and let me know your address via etsy convo, or you can leave it in the "leave a comment" section and I will be sure not to post it to the world :)

Hope everyone is having a crafty day. I am off to take pictures of my new stuff, so I can update the shop later tonight!

Paper Cake Kits?

So I have a craft show coming up at the end of this month. It is my first one and I am completely at a loss on how many I should have in stock, how in the heck will I find time to make all of these cakes, how will I store them at the show, what if someone buys one, how will they carry it home and the list goes on and on! I am actually loosing sleep on this whole thing, because I lay in bed and think about it. Does anyone else do that? Silly I know!So I thought of the idea of Paper Cake kits. Everything you would need is in the kit, you just have to put it together. You can even customize your kit by picking the color combo you would like. Would you purchase a kit at a craft show? Do you think that idea is silly?

Does anyone else have any other ideas on what I could do? I'm getting desperate here! I am planning on putting Paper Cake Kits in the shop soon, but I just didn't know how they would do at a Craft Show? Looking for your response!

Also, I still have my giveaway going on. Click here to enter! Either no one knows I'm having a giveaway or they don't like the item I'm giving away? :) I will let it go one more day and if there still aren't enough people entering it I will just randomly pick out of the people that have entered :) I can't have these lovely ladies waiting until the cows come home! ;)

Hope you are having a very lovely fall day!

8 Years and still HAPPY!

Today marks our 8 year anniversary. Yes, 8 years ago today I was probably dancing to the "YMCA" song :) So cheesy! Anyways, I was trying to find a recent picture of the two of us and can you believe it... I don't have one! I'll have to work on that this week sometime and then post it for you all to see the two lovebirds :) Make sure to kiss your spouse today!

I LOVE YOU JEREMY... YOU ARE MY PRINCE...XOXOXO...

You all are too Bashful!!!!

Yesterday I posted a GiVEAWAY! Just scroll down to yesterdays post to read about it and how to enter to win! I am going to be extending the deadline until Wednesday. I won't tell you how many people have entered, but I will say some have entered. You will understand when you read the GiVEAWAY post.
Have a "sweet" day!

I'm back and now I feel the NEED to GiVE something away!

Need some cute gift boxes for Christmas? Well now is the time to enter in this giveaway for your chance to win these adorable boxes. If you win you will receive 3 boxes. The person to win will be the 25th person to post a comment. You know since Christmas is on the 25th :) The kicker is that you won't know which post number you are since I won't be approving them until tomorrow at 4:00pm. So ladies and gents you have 24 hours to enter to win! Good Luck!

Also, there are some new goodies in the shop starting today. Click here to see!

Lady LiBERTY and Alaina's Surgery!

I know I have been MIA for the past week or so and I do apologize, but I really didn't want to announce to the world that we would be gone for the week! Anyways, we are back, but we had a crazy week! We left last Friday and headed off to New Jersey for Alaina's surgery. Which was on Tuesday! So on Monday we decided to have a fun day and drive to the Hudson Bay and take a ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. Neither of us have been so we thought it would be fun and it was! It's crazy how big everything looks! Here is a picture of the girls sitting just under Lady Liberty!
On Tuesday we had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. Alaina was scheduled first for the day! It was a long day! Alaina had done what is known as PERC's you can check out Dr. Nuzzo's site here. This procedure is really great for kids with Spastic CP. It is an outpatient surgery and they are casted for 4 weeks! This is Alaina about 6 hours post-op in the car. She had to wear the knee immobilizers for 24 hours and then she will need to wear them every night to bed so she can re-train her brain and body not to sleep in a fetal position. I know it sounds mean, but her hamstrings were so tight before the surgery that you couldn't straighten them out in a sitting position. So it was very painful for her with muscle contractions! Here is Alaina last night when we got home taking a bath in the kitchen sink :) How silly for a little girl!
This is for those of you that are Office fans. I was bummed that it wasn't on last night!


So that was our week in a nutshell! Crazy, today Alaina was back in school and did really well. She is already sitting up by herself, which she wasn't able to do just 3 days ago because she was so tight in her legs! Praise Jesus!