Tip Junkie (http://tipjunkie.com/shopathon/) Is having a super fun give away. Run over to the site and enter. They have hand made items too! Have Fun.

Run, Go Organize Your Pantry

I love when things are neat, tidy, organized and clean. Well, ever since we moved into the new house things have been the exact opposite of that. I have organizing block AND decorating block. Two things that I am so good at I can't seem to do at all now??? Maybe it's because this is our last house, the one we will grow old in and have our grandchildren in. I want it to be perfect, so if I can't do it perfectly, I just don't do it. Smart, right? WRONG...This place is a wreck and because it is bigger than our last house we don't have nearly enough furniture in it to unpack our things "just the right way". We have a list of priorities of things to fix, furniture to buy, decorating idea...etc. It is slow going because of lack of money and energy but I am going insane.

So, any little step in the right direction makes me intensely happy. I am a lover of Blogs. I have "met" the nicest people and learned so much from reading them. One of those is called MeckMom. The site is www.meckmom.com (I can't make my computer do a link for some reason but here is the URL to:

http://www.meckmom.com/2006/06/08/control-your-pantry-mess-for-under-30/

Go check it out, it is fabulous! She has organizing tips, crafts, downloads, the works! One of her brilliant ideas is for organizing your pantry. Well, I jumped right on that. I already had a ton of matching plastic totes so I printed off her labels and emptied my pantry into the designated tote and OOOOHHHHHH, is it nice (well until DH unloaded groceries and junked it up) but that is the beauty of this system, even if it's thrown into the totes, it is still organized! There is a tote for each category like soups, desserts, snacks, dinner, lunch, breakfast... I made two totes for some categories. Hubby just went grocery shopping so we opened the pantry and put each item in its respective tote. It was so fast so I wanted to share this wonderful blog so you all can do it too. Here is a picture of what your pantry can look like:
Isn't she pretty and SO efficient! MeckMom even lets you download her pretty labels for the totes. I laminated mine and attached them with Velcro dots so if it gets messed up or I change the label I can just Velcro on a new one. This makes me happy. Thanks MeckMom!

I Heart Tassels

OK, so last night I made my first tassel and I am hooked. I am searching the house for things to turn into tassels. I'm a crazed woman. Help me. Send me tassel supplies quick! I made two Fall ones and then this green beauty to match my bedroom. I hung it on my bed. Now I want to clean my messy room so my pretty tassel has a nice home...I'm going to make more!

A Mess and A Tassel

I am the lucky owner of TWO Susie Harris Tassels! I love her and her art work. Not only is she talented but so sweet! Well, tonight I tried my hand at making my own tassels and I am hooked. It started with a bunch of shopping for materials. Then, because my craft room is not ready yet, I set up a make-shift craft table. Then the mess...

Oh, and this mess too...

BUT, after an hour and a ton of hot glue gun burns and a huge metal acorn, here is my tassel...

Not too shabby, I am happy and I want to make MORE. I know what friends are getting for Christmas!

Veterans Day...

Dear Daddy,
I miss you more than words can say, not just today on Veterans day but every single day! I miss you calling for your daily "Lilly Report", I miss you making such amazing things out of wood and cry as I look around my house at the things you made and cry. I miss your calmness and rationality during stressful situations. I miss you decorating Woody for every holiday. I miss watching you play with Lilly and talk to her in your special way. I miss all of your stories about when you were a boy. I miss your army stories and you calling cadences to Lilly and I in the kitchen. I miss your annual Christmas story about "Scooter" and Once or Twice Upon A Time. I miss you so much I can hardly breath.
Daddy you fought for our freedom and you are my hero. I can't believe it has been over a year since you have gone to heaven, I still forget you are gone and want to pick up the phone to talk to you. I remember your last year and how sick you got. We tried so hard to take care of you but you just kept getting sicker. We never got tired of taking care of you Daddy. Not even when you stopped walking and were confined to the hospital bed we moved into your living room where , once, a Christmas tree stood. I never minded sitting with you all day and cooking your favorite food and running all over town to get all of your 'stuff'. I still can't listen to the tapes we made together, the ones when I interviewed you about your life and you loved to tell the stories but then you got so sick you couldn't remember anymore. I didn't even mind when you forgot my name...I always loved you and I always will.
You are a good man who worked hard for his family. You never let us go hungry or want for anything. You came from nothing and joined the Army to make a better life for you and Mom and eventually us kids. You did it Daddy, we had a great life. I'm so lucky to have had you even though you died so young. I am lucky my daughter got to know and love you like I do. I can't imagine another holiday without you.
You served in Vietnam and died from exposure to something that has made us all sick. We had to watch you die every single day for a year and had to stand helplessly by while you were in such pain. The rest of us are still sick and I am left to wonder who will be next.
I'm proud of my soldier father. I'm proud of my mother who is an Army wife. I am proud of my brother and I for moving every 2 years during the hardest years in a child's life. I am proud of every soldier and their families who all serve our country and fight for our freedom. I am a proud American and so was my father. I found a picture of you kissing Lilly today and cried until I couldn't cry anymore. Tonight I watched the service at Arlington Cemetery where you Rest In Peace and I am crying while I write this. I love you Daddy and I am so proud of you. I miss you...we all do.
Happy Veterans Day!

To Do...

I am a list maker. Good thing too, otherwise nothing would ever get done! Tomorrow's list:
Get Princess up, dressed, fed, walk to bus stop
Clean Kitchen and 3 bathrooms
Pick up new kitchen table
Move old table to Formal dining room
Iron table cloth and chair covers
Go to gym
Unload minivan (went Christmas Shopping tonight, almost done!)
Hide Princesses gifts
Finish "Thank You" cone for teacher
Fold a literal mountain of clean laundry
Shower, dress, makeup
Make Princess clean her room (AGAIN)
Dust
Drop off books at library
Meeting tomorrow night
Cry because there is no possible way I can do all of this in one day!

swap+button.jpg (image)

http://clemsongirlandthecoach.blogspot.com/2008/11/clemsongirls-swap.html

swap+button.jpg (image)

I just found this Christmas swap on Clemson Girl's site. Click on the above blue link to get to her blog and find out about it. Basically you have to sign up by Nov. 9 and the price limit is $20-$25 and the items need to be Christmassy (is that a word?). I heart shopping and I really heart getting gifts in the mail so I figured I would try this out. I have never done a swap so if anyone has any tips for me I really NEED them. I want my partner to be WOWED (is that a word?) when they open their box! I need to go shopping...

A "Thank You" Cone

The Princess has the best teacher in the whole wide world! She lets me volunteer as much as I want (and makes me coffee too). She gives the Princess hugs when she is missing her Mommy. She takes time out of her busy schedule to talk to me about any issue that comes up. She allows me to use my teaching degree and read with the kids, which I just love. She calls me at home to keep me updated. She does fun learning activities so the kids stay focused. She is VERY patient both with the kids and us parents. But, most of all, she genuinely cares about her students. She makes sure that each child gets what they need to succeed and is an advocate for each child. We love her.

I often bring in little gifts and candy for her but I wanted to make something special. I have seen these cones for holidays and decorations so I thought I would make one to put some quality dark chocolate in for our teacher.

I made a cone out of scrapbooking paper. I glued a tassel inside the cone before I glued it shut. Then I hot glued a ribbon around the top and on top of that I glued fabric flowers. I put eyelets in both sides and inserted a wire that I had wrapped around a dowel to make it curly into both eyelets. Finally I tied matching ribbon to the wire. I found a frame card that says "Thank You" and put in a picture of the Princess and our Teacher. I wrote her a heart felt note and I will attach it to the front of the cone. I hope she likes it!

Christmas is Coming!

Well, Halloween is officially over and it's time to pack up those decorations and get ready for Thanksgiving AND Christmas. All of the stores are decorated for the holiday and I feel panic setting in. Every year I finish my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving but with this Flu, I don't know if that is possible this year.
Today we went to Target and got 75% off of Halloween decorations but alot of the sale items were also Fall decorations great for Thanksgiving. I will post pictures tomorrow. I did get Halloween costumes 75% off that I will wrap for my Princess for Christmas so she can use them for dress up clothes. We are talking $5.00 for an outfit- Go Me!
I have also planned the class Thanksgiving party and am glad that is done too. Now I will just start putting stuff together.
Have a fabulous day...

October in Review...

A Sickly Month...

Oh what a month, it seems to have last an eternity. My favorite month gone in a Poof with a sinus infection and now...THE FLU! Needless to say I have missed a whole bunch. But my dear husband and Lovely Lilly have had a blast. Here are the Highlights:

The fabulous Halloween Countdown I found on http://www.meckmom.com/ and made for The Princess and her friends. Notice the basket full of eyeball candy next to it. I figured I would make it a true advent and give her a piece of candy for everyday of the countdown. It was a hit!

Yes, that is her pink Christmas dress, it was picture day at school and I though she could get her pics in her dress for Christmas Cards. Of course, my dear friend Carol will be taking family pics now that the leaves are changing colors so we may use those instead. IF I can loose 35 pounds before picture time as I have been laying in bed gaining weight for the last month and can't fit into my clothes!

Carter's Mountain

Every year Big D and I take the Princess to Carter's Mountain Apple Orchard in Charllottsville VA. We love it: Fresh hot apple cider, apple chutney, apple pie, apple cookies and our favorite: Apple Doughnuts! YUMMY! We scarf down the D-Do's as Princess calls them and fight for the last one, Princess Lilly always wins :)

Halloween Day

From top to bottom:

1. Princess Lilly in her Halloween dress made by Meme (her Grandma, my Mom)

2. Her class party of which I organized but was too sick to attend so the lovely Moms in class along with Hubby took over and had a delightful time with the kids. I stayed home and cried.

3. Carving the annual pumpkin.

4. All dressed up as a Superstar to go Trick or Treat then home to a party in ours and our neighbors back yard also of which I was supposed to co- host but my dear friend Vandee, her hubby, my hubby and my mom took over and had a blast for all the adults and kids in our neighborhood. I stayed home and cried.

So now Halloween is over. I have missed it and all the fun too. I am still in bed but very thankful to my family and friends for helping me with my projects and parties and for making Halloween fun for my precious daughter.

I love you all.

Happy Fall!