A Fantastic Photo Giveaway!!!

My wonderfully talented sister has recently started a blog for her photograpy/graphic design business. She's having a giveaway to help her get started. Visit her site to enter. Believe me - you'll want to win!



Also, here's a link to her business website - http://www.saras-studio.com/
Check it out! See if you can decide which pics are me and my kiddos!

5 Dollar Challenge

Linday, from Living With Lindsay, is having a 5 dollar challenge! Click here to read all the rules. Basically, our challenge was to find something at a Dollar store, spend no more than 5 dollars, and make something cute! A winner will be chosen at random from all the participants. That's good for me, because I'm sure there will be people who create something a whole lot cuter than me! Anyway, here's what I made.

Thinking back on it, I should have taken before pics, but I didn't. Here's what I did. I bought the flowers (they were on long stems - see this post) and a decorative broomstick at Dollar Tree. I cut up the broomstick, gathered the pieces into chunks, tied them together with ribbon that I had in my ribbon stash and spray painted it white (with the very, very last drops of my spray paint). Then I tied pretty ribbons from my stash around each section and hot glued the blooms to the top. I used some more ribbon I already had to hang it on my door. And that's that! I only spent $4 and used supplies I already had at home.

I can't wait to see everyone else's ideas! I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of $ at Dollar Tree after tomorrow!

Mmmm, Baby Powder!

There's just something about the smell of a baby, isn't there? When I pick up a baby, I instinctively smell its head. Am I weird? I love the smell of a baby's head. It's the smell of pure innocence.

However, there's nothing innocent about their poop. It's bad. Newborn all the way up to toddler - it stinks. I don't know about you, but no matter what I do, sometimes the smell lingers in the nursery. Even if I wrap the diaper in a bag and put it in the Diaper Champ. Even if I take it to the garage. If it was a bad one, I can still smell it. Well, I've found my solution.



Baby Powder candles! I found these oh, so sweet candles on etsy and ordered one last week. I love it! Even if there hasn't been a shooey incident, I still light it once a day just to make the room smell "babyish." And isn't it cute? It's decorative, too! Perched atop the armoire, it looks AND smells pretty!

Skyline Candle Company makes these little darlings (plus many more scents). Their candles are made with clean-burning, all-natural soy wax. The have an average 60 hour burn time. I didn't know this, but soy candles burn clean and are a healthy choice for your family! I should have known - soy is great for so many things! And of course, the most important detail - all candles have a cute ribbon tied around the neck!

Now do you want one for you? Go to this etsy shop and order one today!

Blog Design Giveaway!!!

Like my beeeeeeeautiful blog design? Well, you can win one for yourself for FREE just by commenting on Kristi's blog. She does awesome work, doesn't she??? Now go on over and give her a comment!

A Prayer for Today

Lord, help me be a person who speaks words that build up and not tear down. Help me to speak life into the situations and people around me, and not death. Fill my heart afresh each day with Your Holy Spirit, so that Your love and goodness overflow from my heart and my mouth. Help me to speak only about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. Keep my mouth from speaking any evil or anything that is not true. May every word I speak reflect Your purity and love.

Fill my heart with love, peace and joy so that it will flow from my mouth. Convict me when I complain or speak negatively. Help me not to speak too quickly or too much. Help me not to speak words that miscommunicate. I pray You would give me the words to say every time I speak. Show me when to speak and when not to.

Help me to be a woman who speaks wisely, graciously and clearly, never foolishly, rudely or insensitively. Give me words that speak of the hope that is within me so I can explain my faith in a persuasive and compelling way. May the words I speak bring others in to a fuller knowledge of You.


from The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian

Toile Y'all!

I love toile. Love. It. I think I might have a slight obsession with it. After taking pictures of all the toile in my house, I think it's safe to say I have too much. What do you think? (Just so you know - even if you tell me I have too much, I'm not taking any away!!!)

I have to start with my FAVE toile pieces - my kitchen cabinet knobs and drawer pulls. Are they not the cutest things ever? (The pics aren't great - the toile is blue and white)














Next, the inside of my china cabinet/hutch/thingy is lined with toile wallpaper. Of course, I got this idea from The Nester.







My dining room chairs that were a hideous plaid, but I recovered in toile myself. Don't look too closely - you might see the plaid through the toile. I was too lazy to remove the original fabric. But hey - the beauty is in the imperfections, right?







My new little end table that had a glass inset that is now covered in the same wallpaper that lines the hutch. Wow - I don't think that sentence was grammatically correct!







Oh, these are another of my favorite things in my whole house - the toile lampshades on my flea market chandelier!



The bench I got at HobLob for like 75% off because it had dirt on it. Came right out with spot remover at home.

And of course, the toile curtains. Which I do realize I hung too low. I didn't have the energy to re-hang the rod that came with the house. I really need to do that.

I think that about covers it. I think I'm a little toile'd out - how about you? If you aren't, and you'd love to see how other people use toile in their homes, jump on over to Pretty Organized Palace for her Toile Party! It'll be fun!

Slow-cooker Monday - Crockpot Lasagna

So I missed last Monday - sorry! It totally slipped my mind because it was Spring Break and we had no dance class. I made this Shrimp Fried Rice with Edamame and it was so yummy!!! Thanks to my friend Kristi for posting it on her blog!

Anyway, we are back to dance class on Mondays, so here's tonight's crockpot meal. This is actually a Weight Watchers recipe and is really yummy!

Crockpot Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef (95%/5%)
1/2 Medium Onion
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
12 oz light cottage cheese (or low-fat ricotta)
12 oz Lasagna noodles (I used the whole wheat)
16 oz W/W's Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (or any other brand that is reduced fat)

Brown beef with onion. Add spaghetti sauce and cook until warm. Spoon a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a sprayed crockpot. Add a double layer of uncooked noodles (break to fit) and top with the cheeses. Repeat with the sauce, noodles and cheeses until used up. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours - depending on your crockpot it could be done in less time, just check on it!

Serves 6-10

1/6 of the pot - 10 points
1/8 of the pot - 8 points
1/10 of the pot - 6 points