My heart smiles.

You are 4 years old. It’s a Sunday in April and the weather is unexpectedly beautiful. You’re in shorts and a t-shirt and wearing your bike helmet. You run through the kitchen in a hurry not wanting to be left behind by your older sister and father. But as you open the door leading to the garage, you pause and yell to me.

I can’t see you from where I am standing, but I can picture you clearly in my mind. Your socks are uneven. Your clothes don’t match in any sense of the word “coordinated”. The 'protective' helmet on your head is terribly askew and I can just hear your cyclist grandfather saying “It’s not going to do her any good if she doesn’t wear it properly!”. And you most likely have milk or jam or some other food item smeared across your chin. And you’re desperate to hurry up and get out there on your scooter.

But... you pause at the door anyway and yell {unprompted!}…

 

“Good-bye, Mommy! I love you!”

Then I hear the door slam.

My heart smiles.

I love you too, Boogey. I love you too.

If only they were full...

So I just wandered down to the convenience store here at my office as I was in need of something sweet to eat. [hey, I'm a poet and I didn't know it!  :/  ] I opted for a pack of Reeses Penut Butter Cups because, I mean... seriously, who doesn't love a good bite of PB & Choc?? Who's with me??

Anyway, I picked up my first one and started to peel off the little brown wrapper thingy only to reveal... another little brown wrapper thingy. So I peeled that one off and underneath that one I found... another little brown wrapper thingy! What the what? I've gotten a double before and yes, it is always a little fun, but a triple?! Unheard of!! Well, let me tell you.... that was nothing! Here is what I ended up with when all was said and done...

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{
}
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{lousy cell phone pic}



SEVEN extra wrappers!! That's gotta be a new world record or something! I think I should call Guiness!!

Anyway, after I got over my geekish giddiness I got all sad-faced because I really wished all of those wrappers had been full! Wouldn't THAT have been a fun surprise bonus!?!? *sigh* One can dream...

:)

I'm a bad blogger. I'm sorry. :(

Hi folks. I owe you an apology. For starters, I haven't really posted any projects in a while. Bad blogger! And, to make it worse, I promised you a giveaway last week and still haven't come through. Terrible blogger! :( 

I'm sorry for the let down. I have no good excuses. Except for "LIFE". Between the kids, hubby, a full-time job, keeping the house in some sort of decent order, managing the budget and all that jazz, I just haven't had any time, energy, desire (or money) to tackle any new projects, let alone blog about them.

I hear most bloggers go through a "funk" every once in a while and, well, I guess it is my turn. Don't get me wrong, I love doing crafts and household projects. It brings me so much satisfaction to know I created something with my own 2 hands. And I love sharing them in blogland. It is fun to think I've inspired or helped someone out there. But I'm feeling that pressure lately of having to do a project just so I can have something to blog about. And, frankly, the last thing I want to do right now with my very limited free time is worry about taking pictures, editing them and sitting in front of the computer writing up posts. I know that probably sounds bad, but it's the truth.

Maybe it is an 'end of summer funk'. Maybe it's because we haven't gone on our "real" summer vacation yet. Maybe it's because my birthday is coming up in a few days and I'm feeling really old. Maybe I'm just 'over' the novelty of having a blog. Maybe I just need a break. A few of my AMAZING bloggy friends have told me these kind of feelings are normal and that most bloggers question their "existence" every so often. And several of those wonderful bloggy friends suggested that I simply take some time off. So, that is what I'm going to do.

I'm going to take a couple weeks off from blogging. Hopefully a beak from the pressure to "deliver" will re-energize me and re-inspire me. We'll see. I hope you won't hold it against me and choose to stick around for the duration. But if not, that is certainly your perogative. I'm sorry if you feel I've let you down.  :(  Then again, who am I to think my humble little blog is so important to you! LOL.

Anyway, I hope to be back in a few weeks. Hope to see you then.

Happy Blogiversary to me! :)

Wow. There you go. My one-year blogiversary was this past Saturday. Kind of hard to believe that it was a year ago that I posted THIS - my first blog post. Kind of funny to go back and read that first post, because, the thing is... it is just as true now as it was then... I really don't have time for this. LOL.  Because, as you've surely noticed if you've been following me, I tend to go about a week at a time in between posts. Sometimes it's even longer! Between the hubby, the house, 2 pre-schoolers and, oh yeah, that annoying thing called WORK {grrrr} I don't have all that much time to do fun projects, let alone blog about them! But, I like doing projects when I can, and it is so fun to blog about them. Even if I'm not one of the most frequent posters.

And I give you folks credit... you stick around anyway. Regardless of how often I post (or not)! And I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again... I am eternally grateful for that. It warms my heart (and feeds my ego ;) to know a few people out there really like hearing reading about my latest project/craft/babble.

So let's take a look back over this past year...

The first project I ever blogged about was my Master Bath Makeover [HERE]. I had actually done this project pre-blogdom so I didn't have any pics of the "before" or even the "during", but the "after" post was pretty successful being featured on a few other blogs. I remember being so proud of myself!  (And, no, not only for the features, but just for doing such a great transformation on the room). :)



Master Bath Makeover



Now, if you've learned anything about me over the past year, you know that I am very cheap frugal. So one of my next projects was to jump on the "Dollar Tree Hurricane" bandwagon. In THIS POST, I showed you how to make a pretty and versatile glass hurricane for only $2! I really love this hurricane and have dressed it up for so many different holidays and parties.



Dollar Store Hurricanes



Another one of my early (but favorite) projects was my DIY Canvas Art [HERE]. These continue to hang over our bed, and I still love them just as much today as I did back then.



DIY Wall Canvas Art



In October, I posted a few Halloween projects including my Dollar Tree Trick-or-Treat bucket, some spooky specimen art, and these no-sew DIY Jessie Costumes (which happens to be the post with the 2nd most hits over the past year - almost 8,000 pageviews!)



DIY No-Sew Jessie Costume



Another thing you may have learned about me is that I like love to organize things and one of the tips I've shared was about how I tidied up our playroom using fabric bins. The 'piece de resistance' were the photos of the toys I added to the bins to make them more user-friendly for my non-reading little ones. See full post HERE.



Organize Toys with Photos



Obviously, my 2 kids are the center of my life - they are amazing girls and bring so much joy to our lives. SweetPea and Boogey are only 15 months apart and currently both in pre-school. Needless to say, we get invited to alot of birthday parties. Many of those parties are at locations like ChuckECheese or those activity gym places. But I've always thrown my girls' parties at our house doing all the decorations myself. SweetPea had a Superhero Academy/Batman-themed birthday when she turned 4 in November. It was so much fun! You can see details HERE.



Superhero / Batman Birthday Party



And when Boogey turned 3 in February, I organized a Pink Mod Monkey Party [see details HERE]



Pink Mod Monkey Birthday Party



In the spring, I made some Growth Charts for my girls [seen HERE]. The great thing about these is that they are portable so you can take them when you move or just give you the option to relocate them in the house - so nice! These were another cheap frugal project and so easy to make!




DIY Growth Chart

 

My "biggest" project over the past year was probably adding the mock wainscoting in our main hallway. I am so thrilled with how this turned out and my friends have been impressed that I did it myself! Read about the Boxes on my Walls HERE.



DIY (mock) Wainscoting



I've also shared a few recipes with you as I spend so much time cooking meals for our family every night as well as for all of those birthday parties and other family gatherings. Some of my favorites were my Rainbow Pudding Pops [HERE] (my most-viewed post with close to 10,000 hits! wow!), my Cake Mix Cookies [HERE] (currently my 3rd most-viewed post of all time) and my Mini Marshmallow Flower Cupcakes [HERE].




Rainbow Pudding Pops

 


Cake Mix Cookies - 4th of July style

 



Mini Marshmallow Flowers

 

The post with the most comments over the past year was for my Snowflake Specimen Art. This was another VERY inexpensive, but so easy to do and such a fun, decorative piece. You'll never guess what this was made with! See answer HERE.



Easy Snowflake Specimen Art



Wow - it's been quite a year! And quite a journey. I never would have imagined I could tackle something like that Wainscoting if it hadn't been for the blog world. Seriously. It would NEVER have entered my mind that I could do something like that myself. I am indebted to all of the other fabulous blogs out there which have inspired me with all of the wonderful creativity. Thank you. All of you - big or small. I admire your talent and appreciate your generosity to share your ideas with me (and the rest of the blog world! :).

In honor of my blogiversary AND reaching over 250 followers AND my upcoming birthday (only 2 weeks away) I'm going to be hosting a GIVEAWAY! Yes, I've been saying this for a while, but this time I mean it! :)  Stay tuned for the details later this week and be sure to come back and sign up for a chance to win! 

Lastly, thank you for following my humble little blog this past year. Whether you've been around from the beginning or are new to my world, I appreciate you traveling along with me. I hope you enjoy the ride! :)

Thank you!!

The Bold and the Beautiful - Review my Blog!

So I've been doing this blogging thing for about 6 months now. I've fooled around a little bit with my layout but haven't gotten too crazy with the gadgets and whatnot. I'm just not that tech-savvy, nor do I have that much spare time on my hands. But, I am always open to suggestions for improvement!  I was once graced by some great feedback on my blog from Cassie over at Hi Sugarplum! (for which I am eternally grateful!! Love ya Cassie!). But I know I am (in all facets of my life) a work in progress.

So that is why I am excited to be part of a very unique blog hop. Gail @ My Repurposed Life and MeganDVD @ Beauty in the Attempt are hosting “The Bold and the Beautiful-your blog reviewed”.

By doing so, I am basically inviting Gail, MeganDVD and other guests to my blog to give me tips and advice about what might or might not be pleasing to the eye (or ear) on my blog. {Gently} of course! :) So, that said...

Please take a look around my blog, check out the layout, pages, buttons,  sidebar and gadgets. I would love for you to gently critique my blog. Of course, I’m hoping you will leave me some positive feedback about my blog and tell me all of the great things you like! :)  But it would be great if you could give me constructive criticism too. Do you like my pictures? Does my blog load quickly for you? How about the font?  Do you enjoy the content? All tips and tidbits welcome!

Thank you!!

:)

Awww, gee shucks! *blush*

You like me! You really like me!

I just noticed that I now have over 100 followers! I really cannot believe it. When I first started this blog last August, I can honestly say that I NEVER imagined that I would ever have more than about 10 followers (who would probably all be my good buddies IRL anyway!). But to surpass 100?? Wow. Just wow.

I am truly humbled and so genuinely appreciative of each and every one of you who takes time out of your day to spend a few moments with little old me. I certainly don't have the biggest budget for my projects, nor do I even have much time to do that many projects (let alone write up blog posts about them!!) but you keep following and that means the world to me.

I truly hope that I inspire a few of you by letting you know that you CAN be a wife AND a mom to 2 toddlers AND a full-time corporate-world employee and STILL find time to do pretty, but CHEAP FRUGAL projects that aren't all that time or labor intensive. It IS possible!! :)

So THANK YOU!!

To celebrate this wonderful milestone in my blogging life, I plan to have a giveaway in the coming weeks. Not sure what exactly it is going to be yet or exactly when (don't forget who you're dealing with here! LOL) but I expect it should be something pretty fun. :) So stay tuned!!

IN ADDITION, I want to acknowledge a few blog awards I've received recently. 

(YAY ME!)

:) 

First, I want to send a big {THANK YOU} to Andi over at Jane of All Crafts who awarded me the "Liebster Blog Award". 

"Lieben" is German for "Love" and this award is intended to recognize the "smaller" blogs without lots of followers (i.e. fewer than 300) and is a way to get the word out about blogs you may not have heard of, but are worth checking out. Thank you so much, Andi, for showing me some "Lieben"! :) 

Secondly, I would like to send a big {THANK YOU} out to Maleah at Little Eme who awarded me the "Trendy Blog Award"! This award is supposed to be handed out to blogs who are "trendy". Many thanks, Maleah, for thinking I qualify!! :)

[Just for full disclosure, I am supposed to pass these awards forward to something like 10 blogs each. I just don't have time to do all that right now, but I will try to get back to this when I can!]


THANK YOU!!!

2010 Recap

Well, 2010 was a good year for me. The Heela was finally back at work (after being laid off for a full year! UGH!), the kids were relatively healthy with no trips to the ER ('09 was riddled with them!) and I started this blog. It has been such a pleasure to have a place to share my projects and ideas, as well as get to know so many other fabulous bloggers out there. So thank you for all of your support and for humoring me over these past 6 months.

I hope to have some more fun posts for you this coming year, but in the meantime, I thought I would share a recap of my top 10 posts  for 2010. Depending on when you started following me, you may not have seen all of these, so please check them out to see what all the "hype" is about. (hahaha!) ;)

Most viewed post at the top (based on number of pageviews) and working its way down in popularity...

DIY Jessie (Toy Story) Toddler Costume - no sewing necessary

Snowflake Specimen Art {Shortcut Style}

Organizing the Kids - Toys Edition

DIY Canvas Art {tweet tweet}

Master Bath Makeover

Trick {or} Treat Bucket

Simple Silver Spray-Painted Santa

Mirror Transformation (aka the Frame Fiasco)

Halloween Specimen Art (Shortcut style)

Halloween Rag Wreath

And I'd like to give mention to my top 5 referring sites as well - they are all amazing blogs and you should check them out (if you're not a fan already!)

Shanty 2 Chic

The Shabby Chic Cottage

Org Junkie

House of Hepworths

Remodelaholic


And finally, a big thank you to all of the wonderful blogs that featured me. I am honored that you felt my projects were "feature-worthy" and to have been included in the company of so many other wonderful ideas!

Powder Room Makeover

DIY Canvas Art {tweet tweet}

Master Bath Makeover

DIY Canvas Art {tweet tweet}

Snowflake Specimen Art

DIY Canvas Art {tweet tweet}

Halloween Specimen Art

Snowflake Specimen Art

Simple Silver Spraypainted Santa

Simple Silver Spraypainted Santa

Snowflake Specimen Art

Organizing Kids' Toys

Master Bath Makeover

Master Bath Makeover

Organizing the Kids - Toys Edition

Snowflake Specimen Art

Snowflake Specimen Art

Simple Silver Spraypainted Santa

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I wish you and your family all the best for a very


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My Wishes for You...

Happiness deep down within.
Serenity with each sunrise.
Success in each facet of your life.
Family beside you.
Close and caring friends.
Health, inside you.
Love that never ends.
Special memories of all the yesterdays.
A bright today with much to be thankful for.
A path that leads to beautiful tomorrows.
Dreams that do their best to come true.
Appreciation of all the wonderful things about you. 

Author Unknown

Happy New Year!!