Kindle fire giveaway

What! Really Colleen Hoover not only writes some of the best contemporary books I've read in a LONG time but she gives away stuff like McDonald's gives out ketchup (well like they use to give out ketchup before the drive-thru person started believing each packet came out of their personal paycheck). Check out her latest giveaway blog and while you are at it, get on board and read Hopeless which contrary to the name, gives you hope that all works out in the end....http://colleenhoover.com/2013/01/08/paperbacks-and-a-really-really-huge-kindle/

Reading

While I completely love being a stay-at-home mom, more than I thought I ever would (since this wasn't some childhood dream but more a necessity at first), discovering my love of read has been a mental escape and much needed therapy for me. Lately I've been blessed to discover a new author Colleen Hoover. Okay so story of finding her books. Overhearing another mommy talk about her while waiting to pick up my children. I author stole! Yep, guilty! Some mom, don't even remember her name was talking to another about this latest read SLAMMED and I was curious. Went home, downloaded a sample and I was hooked. Now, she has her latest HOPELESS out and let me just say, there was no waiting for Christmas morning before I opened my present. Hee hee. Late night reading, double coffee portions in the morning, and lost in the world of Holder and Sky.  Check it out for yourself. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hopeless/id589118195?mt=11

The Santa list

Seriously, love this time of year but the whole shopping thing is completely not my style. I do the list idea (thanks to whomever came up with that idea.) So the kiddos are 5 and 7, Santa is alive and they have this crazy notion their lists need to be long as to give him lots of options. This year's list includes a Wii (yep we are a family without a video gaming system...what, they do exist...lol!), a dog (and the fence to go with it) and my personal favorite was the "dog skooper for poo." (her spelling not mine!) That way we don't have to buy anything for the dog because it's all free, my daughter says. Yes, it's all free dear. The Santa bubble might have to get popped on this one. Of course, there is the nook color, the laptop (yes a desktop family still too... unbelievable I know right!) But when I mentioned that we still need to pick out our annual family to adopt this year, suddenly, pencils stopped, eyes were focused on me and they started asking if they could get a family with a daughter and son just like us, and their same ages, and can we meet them and can I wrap their presents. This is what I love about Christmas. The giving and today, I'm extremely thankful that even at 5 and 7, my children are grasping the importance of brotherly love.

Leprechaun Poop

Yeah so I'm that type of classroom mom...but you know, the students love when I bring in a new treat and the teacher, well she shakes her head at me. (No doubt this will be a year to remember for her). Because St. Patrick's Day is on a Saturday the class isn't having a big party so I'm off the hook for that but still, holidays are fun. So in honor of all the leprechauns and the trying to come up with a new treat idea, here is leprechaun poop! It's easy and sweet but no golden nuggets inside although that could be an idea for next year. Blend up 1 container of Oreo cookies until finely crumbed, mix in 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese and shape into well what ever shape you want :) Chill for ten minutes. Meanwhile, melt the almond bark and tint well whatever color you want (careful to use candy dye not icing dye or just use Wilton's candy melts precolored.) Dip your desired shape into the chocolate, tap off any excess chocolate and let chocolate reset on wax paper. You're done. Easy! Because of the cream cheese I suggest chilling the treat till serving. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Reupholstering charis

Children...love them and yet, cleaning up after them gets old. My stained up dining room chairs needed a makeover! I had the fabric from a while ago just begging me to be used. So Wednesday I took a quick trip to my local everything store and I got fresh padding, staple gun and quilters batting. After a couple hours on unscrewing the seat base and taking out staples (probably the hardest part of this project, my dining room chairs looked welcoming again. And as my son said, "Mommy, these are more squishy to my tushy. Hey that's a rhyme." He was right, on both accounts.

50 birthday idea

I know it's been a LONG time but now that both the children are in school and I am start to reclaim my identity with various projects, I'll start sharing some of the latest stuff filling the white space in my life. With buying a house soon I'm sure there will be lots of housing projects just over the horizon. Until then, I am busy crafting. My stepdad turned 50 this last week so to celebrate I wanted to do something creative for him because afterall parents love homemade stuff no matter how old their children are! So here is the evolution of my idea. First I saw some paint can filled with suckers and it said Fifty Sucks. Cute but wanted to tailor it to my dad. He has always been in the automotive trade so I thought a tire would be a nice base for this project. A simple lawn mower tire worked out well. I used a serrated knife to shave down the floral foam to fit snuggly inside and be roughly 3 to 4 inches above the tire top. I wrapped it with tissue paper for two reasons; the first reason was because I wanted it to look nice and the second reason was to keep all those little green foam bits from messing up the table it would eventually sit on. Next I just poked all the sucker ends into the foam starting at the bottom and working my way up in a nice rounded shape, hiding as much of the foam base as possible. A little tulle and a homemade sign and we were good to go. While my dad laughed hard, the grandkids loved all the suckers papaw handed out.

Tootsie Pop

I recieved this kaiser craft paper at a crop last year and have been waiting for the right page to use the owl paper on. I paired it with CTMH's caprise paper and hand cut the scroll taking the title and creating some visual movement on the page. While the photo did not pick up on the title very well on the second page, it reads "Home many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?"