GiVEAWAY time...

If you love my fabric bunting
then you are going to love this GiVEAWAY!
Head on over to Joy's Hope for
all the instructions!

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If you win, you get a free bunting,
so what are you waiting for?

Fresh!

These are my peeps! Aren't they too cute?

These are some new cakes, fresh from the "oven"

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Look for a fun GiVEAWAY tomorrow! :)

Happy Memorial Day Sale!

This is a picture of Alaina
at a little over
2 months old.
Her onesie reads
"Mommy's Little
Firecracker" :)

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If you are a follower of this blog,
for today only you will receive...
10% off anything in the shop!

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To receive FREE shipping on top of the
10%
become my #1 fan on facebook
and
follow my Tweets

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EDITED to say that my lovely sewing machine broke
therefore I cannot create my newest items today :(

HAPPY MEMORiAL DAY

EtsyHacks... a time saver!

Have you ever wished that Etsy was a little more user friendly for the seller?
Trying to find time to add new listings and other little things that don't seem like a big deal or a time waster, but when you add them all together... well let's just say I've waisted a lot of my time pokin' around on Etsy :) I mean haven't we all?

If you haven't heard about EtsyHacks you are missing out big time!

You will first need to install Firefox
if you aren't already using it,
download Greasemonkey,
then go to EtsyHacks and install
all the fun new things.

For instance:
-instead of uploading one pic at a time,
you can upload 5
-you can edit your item from your shop instead of going into "your etsy"
-you can copy a listing and change only the things you want changed
-in case you accidentally hearted someone, you can unheart them from their page, instead of going into your favorite shops and deleting them
-when you convo someone from a specific listing it does not automatically get hyperlinked, with Etsyhacks it does!

These are just a few
Go over and take a look, you won't be mad!

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I'm working really hard trying to get some new themed items in the shop for tomorrow!
And don't forget that there will be a special surprise for my
blog readers, facebook fans and twitter followers,
for tomorrow only!

Squishy Cheeks and more...

Couldn't you just nibble on these cheeks all day long?

My sweet friends added to their family 14 days ago.

I'm in love xoxoxo

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Don't these tulips just make you happy?
I love spring time!

This week I've been taking pictures
of all the bunting I have and
trying to make it look irresistible!
How am I doing?

You can look for them in the shop this weekend!
Stay tuned for a special treat for
Memorial Day!

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If you just can't wait for the special treat for Memorial day
check out this fun blog and don't forget this one too!
They are hosting super cute
giveaways until Monday!

Can I just BRAG for one minute, Please?

I just have to tell you all that I really
do have the BEST husband in the world!
I'm sure all of you ladies that have pretty awesome
husbands too are like,
"Nuh-Uh"
Either way, let me just tell you what he has
done while he is staying at home...
-Has let me sleep in until 10am every day for the past few weeks
(but if you live on the west coast that is like 7am!)
-Made banana bread and
homemade potato bread this week
-Helps me clean the house
-Loves me A LOT
-Let's me create A LOT
-Thanks me for doing the house work
-Cuddles with me :)
-Plays card games with the girls
-Does all the yard work
-Cleans out the vents where those birds are trying to live, yuck!

So ladies, I have been very spoiled!
Thanks honey for LOVING me so much!
I love you too xoxo

What is it with me and BiRDS anyways?

Click on image to make it bigger :)

Can I get some cheese with my WHiNE?

If you are a person with
a VERY HiGH demanding job...
you can get burnt out pretty fast!
Heck,

if you are a stay-at-home mom you can get

burnt out pretty fast!

For example:
The kid that sleeps on the bottom bunk,
wants to sleep on the top bunk.
and
The kid that sleeps on the top bunk,
you guessed it.
She wants to sleep on the bottom!
Of course you are all thinking...
Why doesn't she just switch them?
I would, but Alaina sleeps on the bottom
and with her CP she has a hard time
with transitioning from place to place
without hurting herself.


Too go along with the whole CP stuff.
Alaina has two surgeries in the works already
for this year alone.
That would make it #9 and #10.
Enough already!
The first one is on her eyes,
which she already has had done.
They were crossed and now one of them is
being "lazy" and going out.
We are patching her one
eye for an hour a day!
She does pretty good, thankfully.
The other surgery is for her sleep apnea.
She had sleep apnea when she was just
a little peanut.
They just gave her small doses of caffeine and that
helped, but
now her tonsils and adenoids are so swollen
she is weezy when she breaths and
when she sleeps, she will STOP breathing.
Not good!
So we have an appointment soon to see the
ENT doctor to schedule a surgery date!

Lately, I have been struggling with why do
bad things have to happen to good people?
I completely get it from the biblical stand point,
but I still get saddened by the fact!
I'm trying to be a trooper, but it's hard when your
daughter says, "mom, I want to run like the other kids!"
or
"can I dance like her?"
She wants to do so much, and yet her little body is
limiting her to do so little!
I think it is harder for me though, because this is
all she has ever known, but for me... it puts
a lump in my throat every time. Almost every day!

Well I don't want everyone to leave here feeling all
sad for the girl from the mid-west so,
here are some fun things that I found yesterday!

I was on the front page of my favorite site!

and a friendly Etsian told me about
this site which is now my
second favorite site :)
Make sure if you have an Etsy shop
to head on over.
Plus it has a section to let you know
if you are in the gift guides without
going through every single one and if you
were on the front page recently!

Have a happy day!

One Romantic Tutorial!

STEP 1:

Purchase a shadow box frame, 8x10"
Choose a photo, love letter or wedding invite!
I chose my invite:)
Pin it down in the center leaving about
an inch of space for the border.

STEP 2:

Find your dried roses that your honey gave to you.
These are from my cake topper at my wedding.
Beautiful that day... not so much today!
They are a huge dust collector but I just can't throw
them away!

STEP 3:

Being very careful pull the roses off of the stem.
If your flowers are as old as mine (almost 9 years)
they will just pull right off!
Take a small craft paint brush
and dust the petals, gently :)
Start hot gluing them in a row.

STEP 4:

Continue around the entire border.
If you have a lot of roses and if your photo is
smaller you could do two rows of flowers!
Tip: When you get to each corner,
especially the last one.
Place the glue in the shadow box,
where you want the flower to sit.
This helps from getting hot glue all over your
fingers and doing some damage!
I learned from experience :)

STEP 5:

Enjoy your new piece of art,
that is both sentimental and beautiful!
Seriously, when I went to bed last night
I just stared at it :)

I L.O.V.E.
how this turned out!
I also have some left over and my
bouquet from my wedding day.

I am planning on getting a photo of us
from that day and doing the same thing.
Only I think I will be doing two rows of flowers.
Cause I have enough :)

I have been wanting to do this for
almost 9 years! Crazy how the time slips
away if you let it!

A helpful tip for drying flowers yourself.
Dry in a dark area and
upside down if you can... I used my closet.
The sun or any light is what turns
the flowers a funky color!

Have a happy day!

I like to ask questions!

I like to ask my kids questions and hear there honest answers!

MY MOMMY
By Alaina (almost 5) and Addie (3)
Some of the answers I didn't want to publish....but here they are, unedited!

Copy these questions and ask your child(ren) the questions
and write the answers down exactly how they respond.
Make sure you leave me a comment so I can read how funny your kiddos are too!


1. What is something your mommy always says to you?
Alaina: Get off "W" sit!
Addie: I don't know

2. What makes your mommy happy?
Alaina: when I go potty
Addie: Grumpy

3. What makes your mommy sad?
Alaina: Not go potty
Addie: Angry

4. How does your mommy make you laugh?
Alaina: Do a funny face
Addie: Giggle

5. What was your mommy like as a child?
Alaina: Bald
Addie: A boy

6. How old is your mommy?
Alaina: 15
Addie: 3

7. How tall is your mommy?
Alaina: This tall (she's holding her hands over her head!)
Addie: old

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Alaina: Work on the computer
Addie: I don't know

9. What does your mommy do when you are not around?
Alaina: I don't know... get lonely!
Addie: I don't know, it's kind of crazy or something.

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Alaina: Balls and stuff
Addie: A princess

11. What is your mommy really good at?
Alaina: Baseball
Addie: Playing Hide & seek.

12. What is your mommy not very good at?
Alaina: I don't know
Addie: NOTHING

13. What does your mommy do for her job?
Alaina: Work on the computer
Addie: Good

14. What’s your mommy’s favorite food?
Alaina: Macaroni
Addie: Peanut Butter and Jelly

15. What makes you proud of your mommy?
Alaina: I don't know
Addie: Eating her lunch

16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Alaina: a bad girl
Addie: A ladybug cartoon

17. What do you and your mommy do together?
Alaina: Make a cake
Addie: play

18. How are you and your mommy the same?
Alaina: Our pants
Addie: I don't know

19. How are you and your mommy different?
Alaina: something cool
Addie: Good at this game

20. How do you know that your mommy loves you?
Alaina: makes a card
Addie: Good, (I asked her again and she said GOOD, that means good!)

21. Where is your mommy’s favorite place to go?
Alaina: The library
Addie: The library

22. What else would you like people to know about your mommy?
Alaina: nothing
Addie: nothing

~~~

I also asked them yesterday if they would want mommy and daddy to have another baby ?
(we are NOT pregnant) They both said YES... and then I asked them would you want
a brother or a sister?

Alaina: Without even blinking said, "A BROTHER"
Addie: A sparkly baby that's a girl!
Me: Oh really and what color do you want your "sparkly" baby?
Addie: PINK!

Oh dear... My kids are funny and I love their honest answers!
If you want a laugh of your own ask your kids these questions!

Happy "Smothers" Day

Addie keeps saying all day...
"Happys Smother's Day"
I LOVE IT
and got it on video :)


This is me at about age 3 and my sissy at about 1 1/2
We were bored in the crib, so we did what any curious kids did! Got into the powder!
Thanks mom, for laughing and taking a picture, it just makes me smile!

I love you!

If Ya Ain't Dutch Ya Ain't Much!

I think that saying is just a joke? I'm not sure...
I'm not Dutch? :)

The Tulips are in full bloom here and they are so
beautiful!

The weather has been wonderful and no rain.
What more could you ask for during a spring time festival?

Here is a lady sitting with her dog or maybe she calls her "daughter" who knows?
I couldn't resist a pic of it though!

WEiGH in Wednesdays

I am so close to being done with this Vegan thing I can "taste" it :)
Today is day 36
Four more days and then I am going to be
doing more of the weight watchers thing.
Small portions,
lots of water(which I already drink a lot of)
and still a ton of fruits and veggies.
So as of this morning I weighed in at
152 pounds!

I am so excited to now be down 6.5 pounds :)
Some of my clothes are still too tight to wear comfortably,
but some of them I can now wear :)

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement during
this journey. It's not over yet, but the first part
is definitely almost done!

I heart ViNTAGE

While away on my retreat... I was browsing through a lovely antique shop! I stumbled upon some children's books. They were so charming and colorful!

I thought it would be so fun to create a OOAK paper cake! There is no other like it!

I did struggle with hacking up a perfectly good book, but I'm glad I did :)
It turned out so cute in my opinion!

It's in the shop now!
Let me know how you like it!
I always love to hear if people like it or not :)

Let's Play Catch up!

Okay...
I escaped...
I experienced...
I caught up on HGTV...
I took my time...
I shopped...
I laughed, a lot...
I cried...
I'm back...
and it feels good!

I told you I was going to jump on some beds :)
Now, let's hope my kiddos don't see this pic, because they'll be all like,
wait a minute... I thought she told us NOT to jump on the beds?

This jump is totally the cheerleader coming out in me :)

We found a fun old door so we pulled over for a photo shoot!
I know I'm not Cindy Crawford, but it was fun anyways :)

On Thursday we drove out to the tip of the peninsula in Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan)
It was beautiful, even on this misty, foggy evening!

Here is the lighthouse that guards those big ol' ships from the shoreline!

Here is the shoreline.
It was a really foggy day, I love how the rocks are
scattered all over!
and YES that is snow, in May :)

Looking upwards on the trail to the lighthouse!

One huge house!
Wouldn't you just love to live here?
It was actually a funeral home, kind of creepy,
but it was so awesome,
I bet there are just all sorts of nooks and cranny's in this place!

Lot's of other fun things have happened this weekend,
I am just going to spread the love over the next few days :)

A couple of extra things...
-I thought of a new idea for my paper cakes...
Can't wait to share it:)
-I won a giveaway while I was gone...
A journal, a set of colorful markers (the grown-up kind) and a Starbucks card :)
and
-I got a fabulous phone call today...
A generous donor gave us the full amount for May's tuition's
to put towards Alaina's therapy.
This is such an answer to our prayers, because
we don't have a lot of extra spending cash right now and
we weren't sure how we were going to pay for the month of May
and now we don't have to!
Praise Jesus!!!!!

I'm in a Happy place right now :)