I've got plans for Studio Night

I'm on Pinterest....and lovin' it!  I found this painting there (click HERE for the artist's online shop), and am inspired to create something along these lines for Grace and Caroline.  

Source: etsy.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday & Happy New Year, Julie!

I made my sister, Julie open her Christmas present early.... I just couldn't wait:) Julie sells {at least some of} the Sandi Henderson fabric I used at her Dizzy Daizy quilt shop. The quilt pattern is called Topsy Turvy & calls for a jelly roll + some additional yardage for borders. I found the pattern at Quilter's Way in Concord, MA. I used a jelly roll of a combo of Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom & Farmer's Market fabric, plus fabric from Ginger Blossom for the borders. The blocks came out a bit smaller than the pattern said, and I can't remember the final measurements, but it's a good size throw.

I love the fun, bright fabric....it's like sunshine. I machine quilted it---just stitch in the ditch & big x's through the blocks.

My sister, Sara, sells Sandi Henderson's flannel at her flannel fabric shop...I've got plans for that flannel, let me tell you.

Spring organizing GIVEAWAY!

We're nearing the end of winter (YEAH!), & I for one am ready to welcome spring with open arms! By spring I mean spring weather, because here in New England we've got about 6 more weeks of winter weather, but we signed up for this, right? :) I'm looking outside today and it's a delight to see that winter has finally rolled out a green(ish) carpet of grass to welcome spring.

What is it about going from winter to spring that makes me want to clean, toss, simplify, and organize? Spring really is about change and rebirth...who doesn't LOVE this about spring?! OK, the process of spring cleaning may not be "fun," but the result sure feels great ('til the next tot-made mess). Seriously though, let me tell you about some FUN organizing I've been up to that you can actually benefit from....did I mention there is a giveaway involved?

Recently I won this studio jk vinyl label giveaway on ilashgirls (co-run by Leigh Anne Wilkes, author of yourhomebasedmom). Check out the {studio jk vinyl} Etsy shop. Owner, Jamie Kay has lots of fun designs, both organizing labels & home decor, and she's wonderful to work with.

I was so excited when my kitchen labels arrived, and my simple little kitchen got a fun boost...& a little more organized too. Organization is a happy thing. I ditched a set of silver canisters we've had since moving to Boston. They ran their coarse...thank you, Costco, {& no, the canisters are NOT the giveaway}. I replaced the old canisters with new glass canisters from Target, and labeled 2 of them for the staples "flour" and "sugar", and a third label reads "cookies" for my long awaited cookie jar. Along with organization, cookie jars are a happy thing! Do you remember your grandma's cookie jar? When my grandma's cookie jar was filled with lemon whippersnappers, now THAT was a treat! Check out the recipe HERE on my SIL's food blog.

Back to the labels....I won 6 labels, so I put the other 3 labels in the pantry on a few air-tight containers holding staples we don't go through quite as fast. Here's a link to Alton Brown's pancake mix recipe.

Jamie's kitchen labels make a pantry look snazzy!

I was so pleased with my prize that I emailed Jamie and let her know I'd LOVE to "pay it forward" with this prize and offer this giveaway to my friends, family, & blog visitors. The retail value of the labels is $15. If you don't want or need kitchen labels, you can use the $15 credit for anything in Jamie's Etsy shop.

To participate in the giveaway, just leave one comment on this post. This giveaway ends Tuesday, March 3 at midnight & I'll announce the winner Wednesday morning, so be sure to check back, and/or leave your email in the comment (if you don't think I have it already).

PS. If you're in the market for kitchen canisters, check out Target, Wal-Mart, or take advantage of this sale at Container Store- 20% off everything ENDS MARCH 1, 11:59pm CST.

Good luck!

&

Happy Spring...anticipating, cleaning, blogging, whatever you're doing!

My awesome Giveaway win & a note on parenthood

I've mentioned this before, and most importantly to my sweetheart just before Christmas & my upcoming birthday....I'm in the Angela Henrie Designs fan club.  Her sister, Amy used to live near us and taught Christina piano for some time.  Amy and her daughter would sport the coolest necklaces made by her sister, Angela.  I missed Amy's jewelry party and then she moved west.  To my delight, I caught up with Amy via the blog world, and was excited to see that her sister, Angela started a blog including her jewelry for sale.  If you have something special in mind, she's mentioned doing custom work.

If you've read Angela's blog, you know this mom of 8 not only makes unique jewelry, but she also has fun decorating ideas, and every now and then a gorgeous giveaway.  Just before Christmas, Angela had a giveaway for a necklace from her "mini" line of jewelry.  I put my name in the mix and had to pinch myself when I found I won!!!  I never win!  What a win!  The necklace arrived and I fully admit trying it on to see if it was for sure a mini, and if so, could I pass as a mini model?...ha!  Nope.  This baby was made for one of my "mini"s., so I wrapped it up and put it on the Christmas tree for my sweet Nina to open on Christmas day.  She's not so mini anymore, as she's on the brink of teen years, but when she opened her gift and put it immediately on, it fit nicely, and she hasn't taken it off since.

Just the other day I felt the need to have a heart-to-heart with Christina. I felt that she needed to hear again why so much is asked of her compared to her siblings, and that the weight of responsibility will pass to the next in line when she leaves for college, and so on.  She needed to hear that I was once her age and that I remember how hard it was to find confidence and self-worth.  She needed to hear that we are all a work in progress; that her strength might be her brother's weakness, and vice-versa.  We are equals in that sense, and should be each other's best support.  I told her that I can be tough because some things like name calling are not acceptable in our family and in our home.  I told her that I can be tough because I love her deeply and I have loved her every day since the day she was born....."and I hope that necklace around your neck is a constant reminder that I love you every day, more than you know."

It's a gorgeous necklace now worn by my beautiful daughter who introduced me to the love of motherhood, even when a heart-to-heart is called for following the difficult task of disciplining.  I really couldn't have asked for a better start to motherhood, and I have a hard time watching time fly by with her and the rest of my mini's.

Proof that she even sleeps in her necklace....here Nina is last Saturday morning when the YW leaders came and "kidnapped her for a YW breakfast. Her leader has an embroidery gadget on her sewing machine and she embroidered a small "YW" & design on sweatshirts for the girls. Each girl was described using a YW value and they visited and played a mixer game. It was really nice. I tagged along because I have to say being kidnapped for breakfast (on my birthday) was one of my favorite YW memories...silly, I know!

Free Photo Book!

Just in time for the holidays.....

My MIL clued me in on a free photo book offer from Snapfish.  Click HERE to go to Oprah's website where you can get the link to the Snapfish freebie....an 8x11 20 pg. book starring your very own photos or scanned artwork.

I'm putting together a Safari book for our kids for Christmas using Wayne's photos from our Feb. '08 trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL.  When I uploaded my photos today I got credit for 20 free 4x6 prints:)

Offer ends this Friday and your project needs to be submitted by Sunday, 11/16.  All of the fine print is found on the Oprah link found above.

Happy Publishing!

Life is Made up of a Number of Meaningful Everydays

I recently read through my first issue of the new magazine, Seeing the Everyday, and I'm loving it! The philosophy is right in line with my perspective as a parent. I love finding joy and worth in everyday life with my family. This magazine does just that. There are NO advertisements, just inspiring experiences, quotes, and literature that reinforce the value of everyday home life. Readers offer submissions.
Two things I especially loved in my issue of Seeing the Everyday:
The Secret Pal tradition. This was actually submitted by a friend of mine who I deeply admire. On Thanksgiving evening they put each family member's name on a piece of paper and draw names of who they will give a gift to for Christmas. The gift must be homemade. My friend told how this simple tradition has come to be a wonderful bonding experience for their family. Now that our kids are old enough to make this really work, we'll do Secret Pals for Christmas too. I've forwarned our kids and they are so excited! Thanks Janalee!
The other thing I loved was a photo essay of one family's Thanksgiving dinner. They were working in the kitchen together, playing together, eating together, and it was beautifully captured in photographs. I felt inspired and a little more excited for Thanksgiving with my family. As simple as it is, Thanksgiving is seriously one of my favorite holidays.
If you're looking for an inspiring magazine written by folks just like you and me who are trying to make life meaningful and rich through everyday family-related experiences, I hope you click HERE and visit Seeing the Everyday. I think you'll enjoy it.

*I am thankful for a 4 yr. old photographer who magically made all of my wrinkles disappear!

*I am thankful that I was able to be there for Grace today while she had cavities filled at the dentist. She was so brave. When I took her to school afterward and walked her down the hall to her classroom she asked, "Does my cheek look funny?" "No. It just feels funny, sweetheart," I truthfully replied. She turned and confidently chatted away with her classmates who were just coming back from recess. Grace is another child of ours who has tardy anxiety issues. I was happy to see her hold her head high today.

Gorgeous Giveaway

Although I don't own much jewelry at all, I'm a fan of Angela Henrie's handmade jewelry. She has a "mini" line too for little gals. I know I'm weakening my winning chances here, but Angela has a gorgeous GIVEAWAY going on that is a must see if you've got a little gal you want to spoil. Angela's sister, Amy was in our ward before moving west. She's a scream and I can say from the Angela-made jewelry that Amy and her daughter wore, this jewelry is the best quality I have ever seen. I'm leaving Angela's link on my blogroll in case Wayne or my kids want to pitch in for a Christmas/Mother's Day/Birthday/Valentine's Day gift....and for your future shopping eyes as well.

Local Talent - Tymely Designs

A friend of ours gave us this plaque for Wesley's birth. Looks like I could straighten the bow a bit, but I was just so excited to get it on the wall and send off a picture so you can see how beautiful this plaque is! Gwen, the creator of Tymely Designs, paints these by hand herself and has a gorgeous line of plaques she makes and sells from her home business. Check out her website!