More Cross Magnets

Here are two more magnets that I painted.  I used the same purple/gold/black combination, and I think it worked just as well on these.  I love the hearts.  I am keeping these for myself, too. 

Quilted Christmas

Guest post written by Amelia Palmer

I've always love to quilt. My grandmother was always quilting when I was little and my mom always hated quilting I think because her mother was so gung ho about it. But over the years, I got better and better at quilting and have kept on doing it throughout my adult life. I sent my kids off to college with quilts that I made for them and on other occasions. It makes me feel like I'm there with them and I think that they kind of feel the same way too.

After all the quilts that I've made over the years, it never occurred to me to make a quilted Christmas tree skirt and then I got the idea a few weeks ago. So I went online to get a pattern for it. While I was doing that I saw an internet offer and after looking at it, decided to get clear wireless internet for our house.

I'm actually going to make a quilted tree skirt for me and then one for both of my kids to give them as kind of family gifts for Christmas. I'm so excited about them!

Cross Magnets

I bought these magnets with the intention of painting them and giving them away as Christmas gifts.  Once I painted them, however, I decided to keep them for myself.  I love the black/gold/purple combination.  I like the way they look with swapping out the gold and purple.  Don't you?

Pretty Holiday Packaging

Guest post written by Ruth Wright

Gone are the days when my little girls insist on me wrapping all of their Christmas presents in tacky brightly colored wrapping paper covered in their favorite cartoons characters. I'm pretty grateful for that because I'm so sick of buying that stuff because it's more expensive and doesn't look all that nice with all my other Christmas decor.

This year I thought that I would come up with some more unique gift wrappings for the holidays, so I started looking for some ideas online when I came across some deals for an internet company and decided to CLICK and go ahead and sign up for one of them.

Even though it only lasts for a while, I think that holiday gift packaging is one of the best ways to get creative during the holidays. I love to flex my creativity and am thinking about putting all those scraps of ribbon that I have in my craft room to use on some bows for presents and then reuse them again for next year.

Easy Come, Easy Go

I have a hard time making friends.  I happen to be really shy, and I always feel like I say the wrong things to people.  So, instead of possibly looking like a fool, I just keep to myself.

About a month ago, one of the moms at the bus stop started talking to me in the afternoons.  She is a big talker, so basically all I had to do was nod my head every now and then because she did all the talking.  It took her a week to tell me her entire life story, and trust me, there were things I could have lived the rest of my life without knowing.  I think she felt we had a connection because she had just moved to SC from Pennsylvania, and I am originally from New York.

One of the things I know about her is that she is a nursing assistant.  Several days a week she would show up at the bus stop in her scrubs, ready to head to work as soon as the kids got off the bus.  She worked for a staffing company in different nursing homes in the area.  I am familiar with a lot of them because my husband used to be a CNA when we first got together, and he worked for a competing staffing agency.  He didn't need to wear uniform scrubs, though.  He just needed to wear white shirts and pants. I think they should have been required to wear green scrubs or something, because the white always got so dirty.  He would come home with who knows what all over his clothes, and it took a lot of bleach to get them white again. 

Anyway, last week, my new friend moved across town, and her son will be going to a different school.  I am going to miss listening to her go on and on about herself at the bus stop.  Okay, not really.  I can now go back to reading peacefully while waiting for the bus, especially now that I have my new eReader.

My Ice Cream

I know...there is no ice cream flavor that is purple.  But, it's my favorite color, so that's what it is.  I wish I could figure out how to add sprinkles to it.  I guess my next trip to the craft store will be a mission to find the perfect craft sprinkle for fake ice cream cones.  Any suggestions?

Catching Up With Old Friends

Guest post written by Heather Maness

My friend Melissa and I try to get together at least once every few weeks, if not just for a quick bite to eat to catch up. It's been nearly three years since we graduated from Penn State together and we've really tried our hardest to make sure life in the real world didn't stand the way of our friendship, so that's why we keep up the regular visits as much as we can. I actually went over to her place last night for a dinner-and-a-movie combo, which was a blast.

We made this great fettuccine alfredo meal - homemade alfredo and all - plus our favorite cheesy garlic bread from the grocery store. Making it all was so much fun! She also got to show off her new sears granite countertops, which she of course was excited to do. I'm actually thinking about having some installed in my place now, after working with hers for so long. Anyway, then we sat down and finally watched Dear John together - which we'd wanted to see in theaters but just never found the time. Every time I leave one of our hangouts I can't help but smile. It's great knowing I'll always have someone to kick back with, college-style.

A Piece Of Cake & A Banana Split

Brandi painted these.  Don't they look delicious? lol!  She is getting pretty good at staying in the right spots with the paint.  I think she is going to be crafty like me.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that her "chocolate" looks a lot like a pile of poop on top of that banana split. 

What's Your Wicked Fresh Moment?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom's of Maine. All opinions are 100% mine.

Christmas is a little over a month away.  If you are like me, you are worrying about finding the money to make those last minute purchases.  Junior and I used to love to go shopping the morning of Christmas Eve, when the stores were packed with shoppers looking for last minute deals.  We haven't done that in a few years, though, because we haven't had the money.

This year, I am going to enter Tom's Of Maine's That's Wicked Fresh contest for a chance to win a $500 Target gift card.  The contests ends a couple of days before Christmas, so if I win, Junior and I can venture out this year.  It's easy to enter, too.  All you have to do is go to the That's Wicked Fresh contest page and tweet your Wicked Fresh moment. (you also have to follow them on Twitter and for a bonus entry, like them on Facebook) You know you have a Wicked Fresh moment.  You can tell them about stealing a kiss under the stars from the person you love.  Or about the time you kissed your future spouse for the first time.  It could even be something as simple as a romantic night with your significant other.  I haven't decided what my Wicked Fresh moment will be yet.  I just know that it's going to be good!

Butt Paste

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's been a while since I've had a kid in diapers.  (Thank Goodness!)  I remember how expensive all the supplies used to cost, from the diapers and wipes to the powders and diaper rash creams.  I always bought the cheapest diapers, wipes and powder, because let's face it, they all did the same thing.  The only thing I remember spending extra money on was the diaper rash cream I used, because it worked.  The funny thing is, they don't make it anymore. 

My sister has a little one who is prone to diaper rash.  She has always used Boudreaux's Butt Paste and she loves it.  I will admit that when I have changed the baby's diaper, the cream wiped off so easily.  Now, as a mom, I know this is really important.  When a baby has diaper rash, their little bottoms can get very red and raw.  ANY type of wiping hurts, so having to press hard to scrub off diaper rash cream is like torture.  The Butt Paste eliminates the need to wipe harshly, making diaper changing easier. 

Plus, it has a really funny name.  I mean, who wouldn't want to buy something called Butt Paste?

Ice Cream

The girls and I were bored last night so we painted some things I had bought a few months ago and forgotten about.  Kasi painted these two.  One is an ice cream cone (on the right) and one is a sundae cup (on the left). We still have a few more things to paint, too.  Maybe if we get the Christmas tree up early enough tonight we'll paint some more.  I still have to do the kids ornaments for this year.

Our New Abode

Guest post written by Edin Cransworth

Now that my husband and I are retired, we have more time to do exactly what we want. In fact, we're doing so much of what we want these days that a few months ago we made a somewhat impromptu move to Clearwater Beach in Florida. It wasn't that much of a trek from our old home in Georgia, but we've talked about retiring down here ever since we first got married so it's great that we're finally seeing that happen. We got our own little condo by the ocean life really couldn't be any better right now! My brother, who lives in New Jersey, has been telling me how cold it is up there too which I respond by telling him that we're still swimming and fishing down in the Sunshine State!


Our first project in the new digs is to re-do our kitchen. We like what's there now, but we really want to give it a little bit of flare. We're going to look into the sears kitchen counters Florida to see what kinds of options we have first and then base the redesign around that. Can't wait to see how it comes out!

Some Realistic Quotes About Life

Guest post written by Laura Peterson

You'll never see one of those posters with the cat hanging on a branch that says Hang In There in my place or in my office either. I'm not much for inspirational quotes, especially when they're paired with cute pictures of small animals. Even in college when my roommate tried to talk me into splitting the cost of one of those posters with people playing beer pong on it with a definition of Teamwork underneath, I told her I wasn't interested.

But when I was just browsing the internet last week I found some quotes that are actually worth writing down by Kurt Vonnegut. Right after I saw those I found the site clearwirelessinternetservice.com and decided to change over my internet company to it because I'd been passively looking for a new one anyway.

I even wrote down one of those Vonnegut quotes down on a post it note and put it up on my computer monitor at work. It might be a little cheesy, but that quote isn't cheesy, just putting it up at my desk.

Baby Formula ~ Which Is Better?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I think women all around the world know that breast feeding their babies is important.  A mother's milk provides all the nutrients a baby needs to grow up healthy.  But sometimes, breast feeding is not an option, and mothers have to rely on baby formula. 

Some women believe that the more expensive name brand formulas are better for their babies than the store brand formulas.  This is completely untrue.  Every baby formula has to meet the same nutritional guidelines.  The name brand formulas are given to hospitals for free and heavily marketed, which keeps their prices high.  Store brand formulas don't spend money on advertising, so their prices are lower.  In fact, some say that a parent can save up to $600 a year simply by switching from the name brand formula to the store brand.  In my opinion, if they are nutritionally the same, why spend the extra money?

All three of my kids were formula babies, not because that is what I wanted, but because I was unable to breast feed.  I did, however, pump my milk for the first three months for each of them so they did receive some of the benefits of breast milk.  I just wish I could have done it longer.

Taylor Ann

I finally finished my last name sign.  I did this one in blue and green.  Taylor shares a room with Teagan, so I put green on both to tie them together.  I also bought pretty white ribbon that has polka dots on it in all different colors...it's going to match both signs. 

I am thinking about making a sign for Brandi's teacher that says "Mrs. Blanton's Classroom", but we'll see.  She's the only teacher gift I have to do this year, so it shouldn't be too hard to get it done.  I hate that the older kids don't bring gifts to their teachers anymore.  I love making stuff every year for them...

Real Housewives DC

Guest post written by Amanda Toone

When I think about all the glamorous places to live, I don't really think about Washington DC but I guess with that being the seat of our government and all, there are lots of parties and charity events and goings on all the time there. Plus, a lot of really big politicians and famous people to rub elbows with on different occasions. So, I guess that filming a Real Housewives season there did make sense, after all.

I kept up with the whole season and watched all kinds of extra and deleted scenes from the show. When I was doing that and rewatching some stuff the other day online, I saw the site www.getclearwirelessinternet.com/4g-broadband/connecticut/new-haven.html and after reading through it decided to change over our internet service to it.

But even though I really ended up liking the show in the end, out of all the Real Housewives, I just couldn't stand Michaele. It wasn't just because she and her husband crashed the White House either. She was just one of my least favorites.

Writer's Block

Guest post written by Kayla Everett

I'm in college now to be an English teacher, but teaching isn't all that I want to do with my life. I want to also eventually publish some short stories and maybe even novels. So trying to write them makes for a nice distraction for me when I'm procrastinating or just taking a break from all of my school work. But it's kind of a problem too because then I stress out about writing my fiction instead of stressing out about school work like I should be doing right now as a college student.

I was online looking up advice for getting over writer's block, which I just happened to be experiencing at the time when I came across some info about CLEAR bundle deals and I think I may switch over my internet to it because a college student can use some extra cash all the time.

Just then I got the inspiration for a short story. It's going to be about, well someone that's like me, an English teacher that's wanting to break out and write a book. We'll see how it ends up.

Love Them!!!!!

I decided last week that I needed a little something for myself.  So, I scoured etsy and found these beautiful earrings in MAB Jewelry's shop.  Aren't they gorgeous!

I was also thrilled when the package arrived and inside was a surprise...a pair of elephant dangle earrings.  They are so cute.  I recommend this seller to anyone looking for unique, beautiful jewelry.

I Found A Great Deal

 I went to Walmart last night and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a huge selection of $1 items at the front of the store.  I'm not talking about the cheap, regularly priced stuff.  No, I am talking about clothes that had been marked down.  Twenty dollar jeans, toddler outfits, shoes, jackets, men's dress shirts, even a swim nappy.  Out of everything on the racks, I only bought one thing.  I bought my nephew's Christmas gift; a Toy Story shorts set.  Sure, he'll have to wait until summer to wear it, but for $1, well, I wasn't passing that up.  I wish they had things in my kids sizes, but the racks had obviously been picked over, and most of the good stuff was gone.  As we were checking out, the cashier said there would be new stuff out this morning, but we don't plan on going back.  I wish we could, though, because I could get a lot of Christmas shopping done.

I Wonder If I Can Still Play?

Growing up, I remember how much I looked forward to 4th grade.  That was the year in elementary school when I could finally join chorus and learn to play an instrument.  It was also the year the whole class got to do a play.  The year I was in 4th grade, we did Cinderella, and I was the evil stepmother.  I was a good evil stepmother.

Of course, I also joined the chorus and started playing the viola.  I was really good at that, too.  I sat first chair up until 10th grade, when I realized that there were more important things in life than orchestra.  I remember when I first started learning that I picked up on it quickly.  I was more advanced than the other students who took lessons at the same time, so my (male) music teacher used to put me in the supply closet to practice more advanced pieces while he taught the rest of the class.  I guess back then I didn't see anything wrong with that, but I think I would be a little ticked nowadays if a teacher put any of my kids in a closet, even if it was for a good reason. 

The thing is, the schools didn't offer my kids the opportunity to learn an instrument.  I have been thinking about letting Ryan learn the guitar, because he is really into 80's rock, and wants to play some of those songs.  (I don't think Guitar Hero counts as lessons, either) I was checking out Adeo School's Home Page and I think they offer exactly what I am looking for.  The Adeo School's Teachers record lessons and post them online for the students to listen to and practice. They then offer the lessons either in home or in studio.  You should check out Adeo School: How it Works for yourself.

I just wish we lived closer to Atlanta (where they are located) so that Ryan could go there.  I read on their site that they even offer viola lessons, which I would love to take myself. I wonder how much I still remember?

One Of My Favorites

RememberRene is one of my newest favorite etsy shops.  Shari sells the most beautiful handmade jewelry.  This particular set is $33, with free shipping. 

I bought something from her recently, but I am giving it as a gift so I don't want to put up a picture of that until after Christmas.  But trust me...I will, because what I bought is beyond beautiful. 

If you are looking for Christmas gifts, check out her shop.  I am sure you will fall in love with her work, just like I have.

From The Book To Fangs

Guest post written by Lauren Thompson

Back when the movie Twilight came out, I had never heard of it before and then one of my friends dragged me to it. Well I thought it was okay, but it really wasn't my thing and I would have just preferred to have seen something that had some really intense vampires, like back when I used to love watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV. Then one of my other friends told me that I should start watching True Blood and I did.

But after this season ended, I just couldn't stand not being able to worry about what was going to happen between Sookie and Bill every week, so I went online and ordered a few of the first books with my clear wimax that the series is based off of.

I just hate it when shows or movies aren't true to the source material and that's not an issue with the True Blood story because it still has a lot of the Louisiana flavor in it, which I really love and think makes the show.

Watching A Sunrise

Guest written by our friend Ruby Holland

Watching a sunrise while on a camping trip is one of my favorite pastimes. Although I don't get to go camping very often, when I do make it, it's my priority to watch a sunrise each and every time, even if I get very little sleep during the night because of my fear of camping when it's dark.

I go camping for many reasons, but watching a sunrise while camping is one of the biggest reasons. There's something so reassuring and beautiful about a sunrise while free in the woods that is so much more powerful than watching a sunrise while in the middle of busy cities.

I'm comfortable when I'm camping because I know my home is safe. I always set my home security alarm from Adt Home Security prices before leaving for a camping trip so that I can enjoy the sunrise and everything else I'll be doing on my trip. It's just a great experience to know that I'll never have to worry about my home.

Camping will always be one of my most treasured activities, but watching the sunrise during the trip is my all time favorite thing on my trip. I do so in the safety of the woods, knowing that everything I do is a private moment for myself that I can remember forever. I can also share those moments with the people that I love the most.

The sunrise on a camping trip is unlike any other sunrise you'll witness. Give it a try and I think you'll agree.

Skating Mom

Guest post written by Rebekah Holt

Even though my kids don't play soccer, that doesn't mean that I don't constantly cart them back and forth to sporting events. My daughter figure skates and my son plays hockey.

I was online looking to buy my kids some more skates coming up for the holidays. They seem to go through them so fast! When i was doing that I saw www.clearwirewimax4g.com and it got my interest so I read through it. After that I showed it to my husband and we're going to switch over our internet provider to it pretty soon.

I think I found some skates that are going to work for both of them. But I'm prepared to return them just in case they don't fit right. You never can tell when it comes to kids! I think that will also give my daughter enough time to break them in before her skating competition. She is really nervous about it because she's never competed in a figure skating competition before, although she has some practice in the limelight from piano competitions.

It's A Beautiful Day

 It is beautiful outside today.  There is a chill in the air, and a beautiful breeze.  I wish I could open my windows and let all the fresh air in, but unfortunately, my windows do not have screens, and all the flies and wasps will come into the house if the windows are open.  For some reason, there are several wasps nests (or are they called hives?) along the roof line of our house, and no matter how many times we knock them down and spray, they keep coming back.  I am seriously thinking we may need Billy (the exterminator) to come take a look at our problem.  I know we have to do something, because I am ready to throw some shutters on the windows that will keep everything out, even the sun.  Of course, since this is a rental house, I would only be able to put up something temporary that we could take down should we ever decide to leave.  I am hoping that one day, someday, we will be able to get a place of our own.  but, for right now, I deal with wasps and bees by keeping the windows closed and the A/C on.

Top Droppers ~ October

The following blogs dropped the most here in October:

Moonangelnay on Etsy ~ A contemporary handmade, fine art, photography, crafts, gifts, jewelry, fashion and Etsy focused blog, sharing weekly features, tutorials, original works and interviews of the new artists of Etsy

 

my kids are my world ~ This is a blog about my life as a wife and mother of three kids, who are, obviously, my world

 

 Random Ramblings ~ Personal observations on a wide variety of subjects. Photographs of creatures and things that are taken on seeing the unusual as well as everyday things

 

Da Dude's BBQ Thought  ~ Da Dude's BBQ Thought & other things. The thoughts and rantings of a Barbecue God Wanna be

 

Traders' Hub ~ My blog gives trading advice, makes critical reviews of related sites, and teaches trading techniques

 

 Photography by KML ~ Photography by KML features the fine art and stock images of photographer, Kathy Libby. KML specializes in Landscape and Nature photos. The stock photos include concepts, food, backgrounds, abstracts, sports, architecture, transportation, and people

 

Technology News ~  All about Technology

 

The Sewing Mom ~ Personal blog showcasing my fabric creations. I also talk about family, friends, hobbies, cooking and daily life.

 

 Confessions of a Fitness Diva ~ The Fitness Diva shows you how to be fit and fabulous while still indulging in some of the more "sinful" things in life. Tips on how to be decadent, but still smart enough to stay looking amazing

 

Online Social Networking ~ Thought provoking articles on a wide range of social media, web marketing and PR strategies

 

Thanks to all who dropped by in October!