Last Day....

I started a project, and didn't do it completely, but still found satisfaction in knowing that today, the Summer Blog Challenge comes to an end. While I didn't get every single post written, I tried. I got busy with school the last few days of the challenge, but I do not regret my need to skip some days. I am so happy to have found the friends that I did in this challenge.
This challenge helped me learn about my writing skills, opened my mind to different types of things to write about, and (most importantly) introduced me to some great people!!

Please, click the link and go read other farewell posts from the other bloggers that did this challenge. And head over to Going Green with the Grizls to tell her what an amazing time we had this summer.
Thanks all for reading my summer challenge posts. Don't worry, I'll still be around!

There's an Autumn Blog Challenge that I read about.... should I do that one, too??

Kindle Fire Giveaway

Welcome to the Kindle Fire giveaway sponsored by Bee Savy and hosted by Debbie Does Coupons.

This giveaway starts at midnight EST on 9/1 and will end at 11:59 PM EST on 9/15.

One lucky winner is going to receive a Kindle Fire!

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Entries are recorded in the Rafflecopter form embedded below.Giveaway ends on September 15th at 11:59 PM ESTTo be eligible to win the Grand Prize, you must be a member of BeeSavy. This will be verified upon choosing the winner.

Sign up with BeeSavy HERE.

Good luck to all.

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Few Words, All Length

My tall and lanky child, with hair down to her butt, with cowboy boots and a smile. Just the way it should be.

Boys Will Be Boys

I've got so much to say from the last few days, it's not funny. I haven't posted in almost a week, but I refuse to have two "Wordless Wednesday" posts back to back just because I haven't written anything in a week. I'm sorry I wasn't writing, I was preparing for the heartache of being a kindergartner's mother. I freaked out all weekend, and then somehow made it through the first day (almost) without crying. 

And now, it's been the second day, and she's fine, and doesn't come home crying 'cause she misses me all day long. And I'm surviving. She is excelling, which is amazing. Well, okay, not "amazing" as in "I can't believe she's doing well because she isn't smart and whitty", but as  in "I'm so proud that she's amazing" amazing. If you can follow that. If not, don't worry, tomorrow is going to be a wordless Wednesday post, where you don't have to worry following my train of thought.

Also, I'm sure that you're sick of seeing photos of kids with backpacks, looking progressively more sleepy in the morning, waiting for their bus. Or, you're looking forward to more. Either way, you may or may not see one similar on my post tomorrow. Yes, I have so much to talk about from the last few days, that I'm talking about tomorrow's post instead! 

That's how I role. 

I'm feeling pretty weird tonight; I'm hyper but sleepy. I think it's coming from adrenaline. Let me tell you what happened today. I was horrified and know I'm going to have nightmares tonight. And I'm going to ache from just telling you about it. 

I have a step from in the kitchen to down into the living room. One step. But it's a steep step, and it's one of those that is feared by all mothers of toddlers everywhere. We have a rug to break the fall, but not really, 'cause you can't really break a fall onto tile like this. Welp, it happened today, as it often does, that he fell off the step. He's done it before, but never like this. The boy was riding his truck, pushing it along, and so he fell from on top of the truck. It doesn't seem like much, but the additional few inches tore him up. And somehow, the truck ended up on top of him. I didn't see it, and I'm glad, but I could have done without the bleeding. Do you know how hard a mouth is to get to quit bleeding? It's hard. 'Specially when your toddler is screaming and wont let you even see the source. 

So, I never figured out where he was bleeding from. I think it was a mix of his lip and the gum. I stripped him down, gave him an iceepop in the tub, and the cold helped with the bleeding. He ate the whole thing, or it melted, and then I bathed him and cleaned the tub. But as soon as I got him dressed, he came in for a kiss and hit his mouth too hard, and it started bleeding again. 

So it's been a long day. 

And that was just the boy! 

My girl is in school, and started riding the bus today. It pulls up in the driveway and comes to get her, and drops her off, and Dog is waiting for her when she gets home. It's pretty cute. 

Welp, this has been a total random post, of ramblings. For which I'm sorry, almost. But not all the way sorry, because I just had to get some words out before I went to bed, and it really helped with the anxiety I've had all day since he fell. 

Have your kids or loved one hurt themselves seemingly horridly and you felt helpless, but knew that not even the doctors could do anything?? Please, share with me, so I don't feel so alone on this :p

Not Wordless Wednesday

I'm not good at Wordless Wednesday posts. I have too much to say, and feel like if I skip the words part of a post, I'm cheating. Why spend the time on a post without words, when I want to tell y'all about what is going on?? So today, I'll share a random photo, and my Summer Blog Challenge, and maybe an update on life.

I gave her a hair bow, and she was in love with it!
I don't know how I got this great of a shot, but it's
one of my favorite photos of her. Ever.

She's so pretty, but sometimes, she has the attitude of someone a little bit older. The other day, she was telling me something, and all I could think was "Stephanie from Full House"! I loved that show when I was growing up, and went through a stage where I was all about Michelle. I was sassy and spoiled a little, like she was. I know I have pictures of myself somewhere and I'm all decked out in an outfit that Michelle would have worn on the show. Full House was great because I always wanted a sister or two, but it would show me that the same fights, same problems happen with sisters that I had with my brother. When I was in the hospital before I had Son, I watched Full House on like TVLand or something all day long, and remember all of the episodes. That's crazy for me! I don't remember most things from y childhood as far as TV goes. I loved the moral lessons given, and it never felt like I was learning something I would use for the rest of my life. I loved Full House! I really could go on and on about it, but I'm sure you've seen it, so I digress.

My house is pretty full right now, too. My dad just had surgery to fix the ligament that he pulled, and he is going pretty crazy. He is on "recliner rest", his arm has to be propped up or he starts swelling, and his thumb turns purple. It's horrible. He pretty much has time to eat a meal, and then it's back to sitting with pillows.
Mom has got back pain so bad that she can't hardly pick up the kids, and she has to carry her phone in case she falls or something in the garden or chicken coop. It's unnerving, to say the least, but she wants to keep it up, and wont take me up on my offer to go do stuff for her. Probably 'cause I don't know an almost-ready-to-pick green bean from a ripe green bean. Either way, she likes to do things on her own.
We're also getting ready for school to start. My daughter starts kindergarten next week, and I've got most of her supplies and things ready, but what I'm not ready for is her growing up and starting school. But this week, I've been watching three siblings in the nearby town, for Mellissa over at Something Like Life. I don't know how she finds the time for her blog during the day with these kids; they are keeping me busy like crazy.  They eat constantly; if Ryland has a snack, everyone pipes in and wants the same one. Until I get up and into the kitchen, then it changes to something else, and I end up handing out too many different things. And then they're thirsty, so want water, but then when I pour water, they decide they'd rather have milk. It's been like this the entire time. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm used to one very decisive five year old, and one that doesn't care. Now, I've got two five year olds (close enough, anyway, she's just about there), and two older boys that I'm not used to at all. Boys. Are. So. Different!
Anyway, Taylor's discovering that she's going to have to learn how to share better, take a joke, and realize that lego guns don't shoot before she starts school. Also, she's going to have to learn to lay down and rest. Thank God, I'm making her do that right now. I don't think she'll have a problem with it, since she's pretty tired from getting up earlier. By the time school starts, she'll just use the "nap time" to rest her body. I doubt she'll sleep, but I sure don't want her making problems for the teacher during nap time.
Anyway, I'm also looking forward for the last night of a church youth program tonight. It's called Wired Week, and it's for 6th-12th graders, and I've heard all sorts of wonderful things! They called last night to ask if I could spare a night, because they're still in need of adults because they had so many youth sign up for the event. It's amazing, and I can't wait! There's going to be games and stuff, food, music, and a worship hour.
I think I'll take this time to rest, too, since I'm thinking about how long this night is going to be!

Meanwhile, check out other TV shows that my fellow bloggers miss by clicking the Summer Challenge Linky. And tell me, how do you get ready for the school year routine right before school starts? 

Rainy Day

I haven’t had a rainy day here in so long. But today, I have to thank Going Green with the Grislz for this prompt, ‘cause maybe that’s the miracle we were waiting for around here. Just the perfect reason for it to rain. 

Where I live, we are in a severe drought, so I haven’t had to think about rainy day activities in a long time. I’m seriously amazed that it rained last night, seemingly out of no-where, and last through the night, and then we woke up to the best overcast sky ever. It’s even “supposed” to rain again this afternoon. I put “supposed” in the quotation marks, because we sometimes never know what on Earth it’s going to. They say it’ll rain, and it is so clear that there’s not a cloud on the sky. Or it’s supposed to be clear, just hot and sunny, and it’s humid and sprinkles. Like I said, that’s rare.

So rather than me having a lot of crafty greatness for the kids to do, they’re playing basketball in the hallway. Yup. That’s happening right now, even though I have a board of fun stuff to do inside on Pinterest. It’s raining, I’m tired, and I’m not interested in making a mess being crafty!

You can find more rainy day activities if you click on the Summer Blog Challenge Linky. 

What is your favorite thing to do on days like today? 

Tip(s) for New Bloggers

If there was just one thing I wish I would have done in the beginning, it would be name my site correctly. I’m pretty happy with it, as explained in a previous post; it’s mine and my personality. But it doesn’t reflect what all I do here. I’m not just “about cute designs”, as my title says. I do giveaways. I review products. I talk about my life, my babies, and my friends/family. I talk about my online groups, and provide tutorials for them when needed. I do a lot here, and it’s not just the stuff I make and sell locally.

Also, I’d advise that no one set into this venture of blogging expecting views and followers immediately. It takes time and work to build these things. It’s a lot of begging, a lot of groups on Facebook helping each other out, a lot of tweets, new accounts on sites you’ve never even thought would exist (like twibber, where you have a “tribe” that RTs for you!), and a lot of time in front of the computer. It’s not easy. And I’m not even a really successful blogger! I mean, I’ve got friends who stop by maybe even when not asked to in our group, but I spend a lot of time visiting their pages to make up for their time, too.

One more thing for a new blogger to understand: We are a community of bloggers. You don’t stand alone in this. We can help you out along the way, if you’re willing to join the community. If you want to know the power of a blogger, read this post, and imagine the effect that this had on the company. We are powerful in whichever way you wish us to be. 

It takes a village to blog.
It takes a village.

For more tips on blogging, click the tab under my tagline up there that reads “SummerBlog Challenge Linky”. The links that are on that page will take you to many more new blogger tips, all by the great community of bloggers that are participating in the Summer Blog Challenge, hosted by Going Green with theGrislz! 

Tutorials for Online Garage Sale

I am the admin on a facebook group page for our area called "Levelland Online Garage Sale". It's a great group, where we post our belongings that we don't have any use for for cheap, and buy and sell off of each other. No need for an early morning wake up and setup, with posters, flyers, and other hassles of a garage sale. Just post it online, and you'll probably end up getting rid of it pretty easily! 

The problem with the group is that there are so many of us (yes, even in this small town), that we often lose track of posts because of the amount of posts that end up on the wall! It can really get crazy. A lot of people in the group don't have the time to explore on facebook like I have, therefore, don't know about group photo albums, events, or files. I'm going to walk them through it here. This may be a long post. If you don't need this information, please click the "Giveaway" tab under my tag line, and you'll find yourself staring at the chance to win some free stuff. 

If you do need some facebook group help, here we go:

Deleting a post:  

Hover over the top right corner of your post that you want to delete. A grey arrow will appear, and when you click it, it'll turn blue and white, as shown, and the drop down menu will also appear. Click Delete.

This box will pop up, and all you have to do is click "Delete" to confirm.

Uploading an Album:

On your group page, you're going to click on the "Photos" tab.

The photos will show, and in the upper right hand corner, you'll see the "+Upload Photos" button. Click it. 

This will cause your photos to pop up. You can select just one, or hold "ctrl" to select a few. If you push "shift", you can select a few photos in a row... say all photos from 1-11. But with the "shift", you select all the photos between the 2 that you select. 

While the photo(s) are uploading, you can Name the Album. Highlight the date that is there, and type in whatever you want to name your album. Do the same for the "say something about the album..." that is in the box under the name. There is an option for adding new photos to the album when you're finished, in case you have more later. 

Adding Events: 

Again, make sure you're on your group page. Click on the "Event" tab. 

There's a button that says "+Create Event".

 Fill out all of the boxes with the information needed. Click on "Create". 

Alright. That should pretty much do it. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. Also, if I have made it more clear for you on how to do the things needed, let me know!
I'm really enjoying the online group we have, and want to do everything possible to make it easy and fun to exchange goods, make money, and get some needs for cheaper than in a store.

For those of y'all who found this post and aren't part of our community garage sale, do you have one in your area?

$100 cash!!!!

This AWESOME cash giveaway is brought to you by A Little Bit of Everything and Shoes, Fashion, and Fitness

Our Memorial Day cash event was such a hit I decided to bring it back for Labor Day.  What a PERFECT way to end the summer!!! (with an extra $50)

Now, for Memorial Day, we did just ONE winner.  How about TWO winners this time?  I think that sounds like a LOT more fun, and it doubles your chances to win!

So, enter today for your chance to win.  Don't forget to come back daily to get those daily entries in.  Also, be on the lookout for other giveaways posted as well.  The more you enter, the more chances you have to win!


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DISCLAIMER: I did NOT receive compensation for this post. This post in in conjunction with other blogs for a giveaway.

$40 Amazon.com GC! Open Worldwide!

Mama Papa Barn is pleased to offer this giveaway thanks to our sponsor, UniqueVanities.com.

UniqueVanities.com is a unique e-boutique that prides itself on not only have the largest selection of individual and truly unique bathroom vanities and fixtures, but also the best client experience available on the web. We strive, with each client, to return to the sales process of the "five and dime," where not only did associates know you by name, but they were genuinely interested in helping you find the perfect item for your project--whether you bought from them or not.

 A huge thanks to my co-hosts: 

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Names

When I found out that I was going to be a mother for the first time, of course the name thing was one of the first things that we started talking about. How to pick a name that was good for our child. I don't like saying "it" when talking about a baby, even before we know the sex. So we said that we'd come up with a name that was unisex to use during pregnancy. Welp, we said "Taylor", and here she is. During the third trimester, we started talking about changing it to something else, and it just didn't feel right. We said that even if she turned out to be a "he", we would keep her first name the same, and just change her middle. But now, I tell her that we named her after James Taylor, my favorite folk music artist. We didn't have to worry about it, but we would have changed "Rae" to "Ray". No big deal.

Now then, I have Ryland also. He wasn't named until the third trimester. Frankly, I got his name from an unsuspecting source. I was working at a pawn shop, and one of my customers showed me his ID, and I fell in love with name. So Ryland it was. We couldn't tell if he was going to be a "he", 'cause we could never get a sonogram done when he was in the correct position! But again, he would have been "Ryland" either way. I didn't have a middle name picked out at all, until right before I had him. This, too, came from a person that I never thought would help me name my child- my boss at the time. We were talking one night, and I mentioned that I hadn't a clue as to what I would write in the birth certificate. He just blurted out "Cole". I looked at him confused at first, and then realized that he really did listen to me when I talked about my family! "Coleburn" is my brother's first name. (Ray is middle, but it's also my father's and grandfather's middle names, also!) Now, my old boss and I are pretty close friends. It's the least I can do for him after he came up with the perfect name for my son.

Taylor Rae and Ryland Cole.

My favorite story about names is my own, though. Mom tells me that my name was seen on the license plate of a car. And she loved it. There's more to the story, but that's going to be saved for another post, just so I can keep readers in suspense over why it's my favorite story.

What are your kid's names? Or pets, if you don't have kids?
What are the stories behind them?

Check out other names by clicking the tab up top that says "Summer Blog Challenge Linky".

Shark Week Dessert

We love Shark Week on Discovery! We live in Texas, and rarely get to the ocean, therefore don't have to worry about sharks! So it's awesome! I don't know if I'd love Shark Week as much if we were on the coast, and swam in the ocean.  I'm watching the countdown of the best bites. I'm about freaking out because there are clouds of blood coming out of what were people or other marine life and the sharks are chomping down and grubbing! Which is okay with me, 'cause I haven't dug into my dessert yet. We're saving them for tomorrow when everyone is home. But that doesn't stop me from sharing with you the awesome dessert I just made! 

Ingredients, all purchased at United Supermarket

At United Supermarkets, you can buy some pretty neat little packages of Shark Fruit snacks. Pair them with blue Jell-O, top it with some Reddi Whip, and you're all set!!! Ocean of sharks, scuba-divers, and treasure chests are sitting in your fridge. Talk about a change for the sharks--we're going to be munching on them instead of them taking bites out of us! 

Make one box of Jell-O according to the instructions on the box. It's super easy! 

Pour the Jello-O into 6 clear cups. Mine are glass. This is so you can see the sharks. 

Refrigerate until firm. This is the hardest part of the recipe, if you're like us and have to re-organize your entire refrigerator for these cups! 

After a while, they're firm enough to top with the shark fruit snacks. If you see treasure chests, poke them down to the bottom. It's fun that way.  

Repeat the Jell-O with the second box, and pour over the sharks for a second layer of Jell-O. When it's firm, poke more sharks down into that layer, also. Top with Reddi-Wip, and you've got yourself a cup full of sharks. Enjoy while watching Sharkzilla chomp down on stuff! 

The Fruit Snacks are only $1.69 for 6 pouches

Jello-O is only $.85 each; I used 2 boxes for $1.70

The Reddi-Wip, I had already had, but I'm sure it was less than $5.

That brings us to $8.39 (highest cost) for 6 cups.

Do you do anything fun for Shark Week? Or is it just another week for you, and nothing really changes in your house? Let me know in the comments!

UPDATE:: don't try to wait to the next night. They tasted fine and were great, but the fruit snacks did get soggy on the outside, and hard from the cold in the middle. They just had a weird texture. So, best when served immediately.

10 Things I Love About Them

I love my kids for many reasons, but the ones that are the best:

They love to cuddle with each other...

How she tells him about things she's interested in...

He's so freakin' cute, even with
his face covered in cake...

They don't mind telling me when they're upset...

They can share laps...

She can climb up on things like a little monkey...

He's got a best friend forever in a
stuffed fictional character...

The look he gets in his eyes when he's so sleepy...

She can make friends with anyone... 

But the best thing about my kids?
Everything. They're mine, I've loved everything about them since I found out I was going to be a mother-both times. How can you not love these faces?

Malibu Blonde Review

I was sent a sample of Malibu Blonde to try out. I love new hair products, and am always up for trying new ones! They sent me a little package of the treatment, which claims that it immediately brightens highlights, prevents the dry feeling, improves the flow and movement of hair, and improves texture. It's eco-friendly, food grade, preservative, sulfate and fragrance free, and is packaged for easy travel. 

So, the Malibu Blonde Treatment told me to shampoo, rinse, apply treatment, leave on for 5 minutes, rinse, and shampoo as normal.
When I opened the package, I didn't smell anything (it's fragrance free, so that's what I was expecting). I poured it in my hands, added some water, and let turn to gel-ish type of stuff. I rubbed it on my hair, and didn't feel anything really. I don't know what I expected to feel, but anyway, I finished up in the shower, which I assume is about 5 minutes, before I rinsed out the treatment.
I shampooed as normal, and conditioned.
I have to admit, I kind of got nervous about leaving it on for so long... I once had pink hair as result of fumbling up a product similar to this one!

But, as you can see, I still have brunette hair with amazing blonde highlights. But it left my hair a little dry, which I thought was odd since it was supposed to prevent that dry feeling. I fixed it with a little leave in conditioner, so it wasn't that big of a deal. The extra pop that my highlights got was worth a pump of conditioner. It not only brightened my fake highlights, but my natural ones, too.

So, all in all, Malibu Blonde rocks, and I'd suggest that if you have highlights or blonde hair in general, you should this out for some lightening. A few weeks after my fake highlights were put in was the perfect time to use this!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Wordless Wednesday

$50 Gift Cards--2 chances to WIN!

Hands and Hearts More Than Full is bringing you an amazing Giftcard Giveaway. Together with Stuck on You and The Organized Mom Awards, they're giving away two $50 gift cards! Two chances to win. What can you do with $50? Tell me in the comments! :) 

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Wild Homo-Sapiens

I have been busy. Very busy. I haven't posted in too long, for which I apologize. So, what have I been up to? Let me tell 'ya.

In this post, I mentioned that my father had just come in from outside with a pulled muscle. Turns out, that "pulled muscle" was a torn ligament, that had to be surgically repaired! He's home, on recliner rest (instead of bed rest), and watching TV all day long. He hates it, 'cause he's always up doing something, but he knows he has to rest and keep that arm still or he'll never heal properly.

We went to Albuquerque, New Mexico to pick up my niece and spend some time shopping. Dad stayed home, but Mom took the kids and me with her. It was a short trip (4 hours) there, and after two days of exploring, we were all ready to get back to the farm. We spent hours at the zoo. It was so much fun! Daughter had always wanted to go on a train ride, and while it wasn't a steam engine that she'd imagined, we took a little train around the zoo and got a behind-the-scene tour, and she was so excited! We got to see elephants, zebras, a polar bear, and a bald eagle, along with various snakes, spiders and other creepy crawlies!
They have a play park with a neat water feature that the tour guide referred to as the "wild homo-sapiens exhibit", which made me giggle. The water feature was a grate with sprayers that shot water up into the sky, drenching anyone standing over it. It got me once when I wasn't expecting it, but it felt so good that I sure didn't mind it! Son cried, though, even if he did need the cool-off that the icey water on his
head provided.

But now, we are home, and it's back to school time, and we've done our shopping and planning. I can't wait to send my baby girl off to school on her first day. It's going to kill me, but I can't wait. She's excited about it, too, and wants to get everything put together already. I'm working on a few more posts that have been provided by cute things my kids and niece have said or done while she's been here. :) Stay tuned!

Cash

Goodness, it's been busy around here! It's just going to get more and more full on my scheduler when school starts for the first time for me in just a few weeks! Can't wait to send her off to school, but man, am I not ready for all the expenses that come with having a school aged child. I know I'm not the only one dreading an added expense to my check book, so I'm proud to announce that I'm helping with this giveaway. Good luck to everyone... I know, as parents, we're going to need it!

It's hard to believe that kids around the world will be heading back to school in the near future but ready or not, it's coming!  We want to help you get ready so we have come together with a great group of bloggers and Tokii.com to bring you the Back to School Your Way Sweepstakes!  For the next two weeks, you will have a chance to win CASH money to help get the kids the essentials they need to head back to school in style.  Thanks to the hosts Crazy House Reviews, Raising My 5 Sons, and  The Jackson Five Family Blog for graciously hosting the event and for all of the other bloggers who have joined in to help!

Tokii is the first self-help relationship site specifically designed to enrich and strengthen all types of relationships through interactive games, moods, quizzes and trading.  Tokii tools positively impact relationships by inspiring, re-engaging and reminding couples why they fell in love in the first place. Tokii.com offers more than 250 games and more than 120 moods that you can send to your partner.  You can also discover how you want to be loved by filling out the LoveZones quiz or discover how closely you and your partner's stars are aligned with the Erotic Horoscopes.  Tokii even boasts a Facebook Mood App that allows users to set their moods from the comfort of their Facebook profile.  You can connect with your partner anytime from anywhere via the Tokii app, now available on all iOS devices, Android smartphones or on www.tokii.com.  We think relationships are fantastic and Tokii helps everyone make the most of theirs!

Just fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below to enter to win! 

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Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from yours. Your Blog Name is not responsible for sponsor prize fulfillment.

Melting

Okay, during meltdowns I ignore my children. They get over it. But right now, I'm experiencing a meltdown of a different kind. It's 111*F according to the car's thermometer. I'm melting. How do you cope with a meltdown? I'm sure that I'd love to tell you. But frankly, all I know to do is eat some Dairy Queen ice cream, slather on sunscreen and wear as little clothing as possible. Cause I'm melting. How do you deal with heat like this??

Diamond Candle Giveaway!

These Diamond Candles are so HOT right now! Every candle has a ring in it, valued between $10 and $5,000!

If you've been wanting a Diamond Candle, here's your chance! Rita Reviews and All 'Bout Cute, along with some other great blogs are hosting a Diamond Candle giveaway! And they are not giving away just one Diamond Candle, they are giving away TWO sets of FIVE of them! THAT'S RIGHT there will be 2 winners! Will you be a winner? Get your entries in!
The winners will have their choice of scent from the Diamond Candles website!

I'm so excited to be helping with this giveaway! 2 sets of 5! That's a lot of wax, a lot of diamonds, and a LOT of chances to win!

This will run from 8/3/12 at 12:01 am EST through 8/24/12 at 11:59 pm EST and is open to Worldwide. Good luck everyone!
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***My tweet that pops up is too long. Please just delete some of the top line and tweet it that way. Thanks***

Please Note: Rita Reviews is solely responsible for the notifying of the winners as well as shipping the prizes and not All 'Bout Cute Designs.

A Little bit of Everything--: Labor Day Cash Event

The memorial day $50 paypal cash was a HUGE success. So please join me in doing the same for Labor day.

So A Little Bit of Everything is going to do a cash giveaway for Labor day as well. The more money that is brought in for extra links the more I can giveaway. There is NO ADMIN fee. So anything you pay for extra links will go towards the prizes.

I am looking for co hosts and other blogs that would like to host a like page. I will have like pages to make entering the giveaway easier. PLUS this will draw fans to your blogs.

Fill out this FORM to enter

Make sure you come around the end of the month to enter.

Click HERE to join the Labor day Cash Event!

In My Dreams

I have a dream home in my head. And it's nice and cozy, with rooms that easy to decorate, windows that open themselves when it's nice out and tint themselves when needed, floors that clean themselves, and a fridge that keeps itself stocked up on what I need. My sofas are always fluffed up, the TV knows what you want to watch, when you want to watch it. My beds make themselves, fluff the pillows, and "tucked in" has a whole new meaning at night. Lights turn themselves off when I fall asleep reading, and the towels that are thrown on the floor get sucked into tunnels that deliver them to washer while I sleep, so I know that I wake up to fresh clothes and towels daily. The water system is very eco-friendly, also, with a meter next to every faucet that lets me know how much I've used that week. The water temperature is perfect-all I have to do is digitally set the temp in order to get that perfect shower in, and never worry about the kid's bath being too hot or cold. Pretty much, everything is done for me, besides my cooking, heavy cleaning, and getting dressed. I wouldn't really be opposed to heavy cleaning getting done, though. I just haven't had a chance to add those details into my blueprints. 

I said it's a dream home. I'll wake up now, and let you in on a secret: 

Since I'm living with my parents, my own place is my dream place. I don't care that the windows don't tint themselves, or that there are no tunnels leading to the washer from the bedroom and bathroom floor. I'm perfect with my bed that I get up and make myself, if it's a bed that is in MY room, MY house/apartment/condo/shack/loft/whatever. My dream home is mine own. 

It wouldn't be too shabby if I could have some really awesome recessed outlets, though. That's not too much of a stretch...

Made With Love

I love making things that don't require the use of a sewing machine.

If it can be held together by hot glue, I'll for it.
Also, you have to keep in mind time and money are, of course, always on my mind.
So is organization. Every time I see something to buy, create or make, I wonder if I can use it in a useful way, or if it's just going to sit there taking up room, or looking pretty but really has no use.
I like things hidden. I like them all in order, or in boxes. But boxes are expensive, and sometimes are hard to find in patterns to match the kid's room, or living room, or where-ever you need them.
So I just decided to make my own.
Kinda.

All I did was cover the box with a cheap fabric from Wal-Mart. I love this pattern!

I just wrapped it up as if I were wrapping a present, but in the top I glued it down, made it even, and then used a green ribbon to cover the ragged edges.

Now my daughter has a place to put all her Ponies. 

What's your favorite home-made gift? Would you rather give it or receive it? 

For more home-made gift ideas, click on the "Summer Blog Challenge Linky" tab. (Or here if you'd rather do that instead. No worries, I'm easy to get along with.)