Another Silhouette giveaway!!!!
Yay! (I'll do whatever I can to win this machine...) (OK, well, not anything...but close to anything)...

Just go to Kara's Party Ideas to enter! And while you're there, check out Kara's amazing blog!!!

Grosgrain Fabulous is giving away one of these AMAZING machines!!! If you haven't heard about the Silhouette or you don't know what it does...check out their site - this baby is INCREDIBLE!!!

And while you're at it...check out Grosgrain Fabulous...another fantastic blog!!!

Well, here it is! The Big Day! The First Day of School!!!

Miss Kate was so excited this morning she woke up extra early and got dressed right away...then she spent the next 2 hours (seriously...no exaggeration here) brushing her newly-5"-shorter hair. By the time she jumped on the bus, her nerves had calmed a bit and she was in full back-to-school mode.

These are the back-to-school gifts that we made for the teachers this year...little note pad folders...the idea came from Rhonna Farrer and is just perfect (in my opinion) for a small gift.


The graphics are from House of 3's new Fall Junque collection and they are FAB-U-LOUS!!! I can't get enough of them...I forsee all future school gifts and scrap pages adorned with these amazing items.

Tomorrow my kindergartner has his first day...exciting!!! Can't wait to see how he'll do! And I can't wait until 3:30 to see how K's first day went!

Yay! 2 people showed off their creations for my last inspiration giveaway & so they both won a 1-year subscription to Better Homes & Gardens Magazine!

Congratulations, Jenny & Jill! I will get your subscriptions started right away!!!

And don't forget about the BHG subscription giveaway that runs until Sunday night!

Good morning! Isn't it a beautiful day?!?

I woke up this morning with a renewed spirit...maybe it's because the kids are going back to school next week. Maybe it's because we are FINALLY getting a break from the completely unbearable temperatures & humidity we've been having lately (cabin fever in August?!?! Really?!?!). Maybe it's because I already know what we're having for dinner tonight (and it's not pizza & cinnamon toast). Whatever ever it is, it's there and I feel great!

And I am going to use this great day to do something I've wanted to do for a long time...start sewing again!!! Yay!!! I've been so wrapped up in my scrapbooking that I've forgotten what it's like to cut into a beautiful yard of new fabric. But today is the day...

I was completely inspired by the colors on the new issue of Better Homes and Gardens that arrived last week.


Although these colors have become my favorites for Christmastime (thank you, Martha Stewart), I think they would look great in a new quilt or handbag...maybe even a fun pillow for the family room! So, in keeping with this color scheme, I'll be creating with the awesome new line from Cosmo Cricket...Early Bird.



Aren't these prints fantastic? Completely retro and kitschy...love 'em.
Maybe I'll throw together a scrapbook layout, too, with these awesome prints and colors...;)

Now, here's your challenge...take this color scheme and create something! Anything! Something with paper, something with fabric, something with sticks and glue...anything! Draw a picture, take a photo, find a photo that features these colors online - just create!

Leave a comment with a link to a photo of your creation before Monday, August 23rd (giveaway ends Sunday, August 22nd at midnight) and you will be entered to win 1 of 2 free 1-year subscriptions to Better Homes & Gardens...a wonderful magazine & a major source of inspiration for me.

Want a couple more chances to win? Leave me a separate comment for each entry...

*Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post
*Write about the giveaway on facebook
*Tweet about it


Thanks so much! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Look what my husband found this weekend while he was mowing the lawn...




Aren't they adorable (well, what you can see of them in this photo)??? He said every time he passed by the birdhouse, the little chicks would start squawking and opening their mouths for food...how darling!

tackorama stock photo

This is the title I have bestowed upon myself this evening...please...let me explain why...

The time: 5:30 p.m.
The kids are starting to get crazy. The boys are playing "Star Wars" and are jumping off of the arms of the couches in the family room. Kate is on the computer busying herself "making over" Hannah Montana on the Disney website. I am working and re-working a scrapbook layout that I am dying to finish. The time keeps ticking by...I know I have to start my Chicken Diane, green beans & brown rice soon - everyone is getting hungry.

5:35 p.m.
Both boys have gotten hurt and are now both crying. Kate is still on the computer. I am (still) feverishly trying to get the layout done, now knowing that my time is up - I have to get moving.

5:45 p.m.
I run upstairs, check the freezer and get an (awesome) idea. I run back downstairs and announce to my husband..."OK, so here's your choice...we can have Chicken Diane, etc. for dinner or I can throw a frozen pizza in the oven" - (this last part I say a little extra loudly, knowing that the boys ADORE pizza). Gray shouts "PIZZA!" Ty shouts "PIZZA!" My hubby, knowing he's been outnumbered says "I don't care - whatever you want..."

6:00 p.m.
Oven is warming up. Boys have stopped jumping on the furniture - thank goodness no fractures. Kate has finished on the computer, Hanna/Miley looking better than ever. I'm still working...;)

6:15 p.m.
Pizza is done! I run upstairs, quickly take it out of the oven, set the table, get everyone's water, look around & realize...damn. I haven't made anything else. A-ha! There's a can of pineapple chunks in the fridge...and hmmm, what else...blueberries! And, let's see, cinnamon toast - yes! Everyone loves cinnamon toast!

So, there you have it...that is why I'm the worst mother in the world. I allowed my family to eat pepperoni pizza, pineapple, blueberries & cinnamon toast for dinner. I'm so ashamed. I won't even mention how we ate all of this while watching reruns of "Wipeout" on TV...

Got any "mother of the year" stories to share? I'd love to hear 'em...;)