Hand Cream

We're a few weeks into dry skin season here in Michigan, and I think I've found my hand's saving grace this year:
Shea Cashmere Hand Cream from Bath & Body Works.
Yum.
It's so soft and rich, and I really appreciate the subtle scent.
AND, it's normally priced $14.50 and is currently for sale for $7.50. Can't beat that!

Pixel & Hank

I needed a bit of sunshine in my day, and got it when I found out I had won a contest over at the Pearls Events blog!
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Lucky, lucky me, I get to pick an item from the Pixel & Hank Etsy shop!
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Here are my two front-runners for what to pick,
it's a tough choice!
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And head on over to Daisy's shop and look at all her beautiful items!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. Staying in LOTS on a rainy and cold weekend.
2. A new babysitter, who is working out really well.
3. Etsy and all the fun I've had with it in the last year.
4. Seven items sold this weekend!
5. My craft room where I can make as big of a mess as I want, then close the door.
6. A husband who can handle sticky situations way better than me.
(Don't ask, it involves our neighbors and the police, ugh!)
7. Upcoming fun plans for Halloween week.
8. Our new family pictures, all over my walls!
9. A healthy family in the midst of lots of people dealing with the flu.
10. A little girl who loves to color and glue, I could do crafts with her for hours!
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What are you most thankful for today?

Fresh Start Sunday

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
~
Matthew 5:1-10 (NIV)

SALE!

Okay, so I mentioned recently that I've got a handful of projects on my plate. And as hard as I try, the list is only getting longer. And this perfectionist-to-the-core,-has-to-accomplish-lots,-gets-overwhelmed-by-too-much-stuff girl is starting to go nutty! Oh, and did I mention that I have a kitchen that's been gutted down to the studs, with no concrete plan in place yet as to what we're going to use to put back it back together? Uh huh.
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So for a short while until I'm all caught up on life, I'm going to take a little break from creating new items for the shop. And in the meantime, everything that's currently in the shop is going ON SALE! Not just a little bit on sale, I'm marking down as low as I can without giving items away!
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Tonight I'm working like crazy to list new items that I already had made, just hadn't listed yet. And yes, they're all listed at the sale prices too!
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Cards - were $2.00, now $1.25!
Gift Tags - were $2.00 and up, now .75 - $1.50!
Medium & Large Necklaces - were $12.00, now $10.00!
Pillows - were $22.00, now $18.00!
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It's crazy, I know. AND, I'm listing to Christmas music right now.
In October.
I think hosting a sale is just making me a little giddy like that!
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So head on over to Cora Anne, and start shopping!

Picture of the Week

Claire has taken charge of our camera this week, so we're finding lots of pictures of us or other random objects on it. Considering there's not a big blur that is her finger in front of the lens on this picture, she's getting better!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. A weekend where we had no major plans, which meant time to make a dent in my monster project to-do list.
2. Stitch witchery which is helping me on both my drapery and my tablecloth projects tremendously. It's hard dealing with 3-6 yards of fabric at once!
3. Pumpkin patches and great family memories.
4. My little girl who loves to sing her "church songs".
5. A new niece born last week, Ruby!
6. A successful heart surgery last week for one of my husband's good friends.
7. A weather forecast this week of temps in the 60's...much better than the 40's we've had!
8. A great Bible study last week.
9. My dad who continues to give us hours of his time on our major project.
10. My brother Steven who celebrates a birthday this week.
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What are you most thankful for today?

Fresh Start Sunday

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

Inner & Outer Beauty

I know I've mentioned a million times how much I love MOPS.
Seriously. I just do.
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This week, one of our mentor moms spoke with us about both inner, and outer beauty. She used her morning "routine" to share Bible verses with us about living as beautiful women of God, and I thought it was worth sharing.
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CLEANSE
Purify yourself
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
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MOISTURIZE
Compassion for others
Jude 21:22
Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
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WRINKLE CREAM
Have a meek & quiet spirit
1 Peter 3:4
Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
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FOUNDATION
First have the word of God
Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
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EYES
Protect your eyes and what they see
1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.
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LIPS
Speak pleasant words
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
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CHEEKS
Shine God's love
Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
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HANDS
Generosity & good deeds
Proverbs 31:31
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
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FEET
Going in the right direction
1 Thessalonians 5:22
Avoid every kind of evil

One More Giveaway!

Woo hoo! I love giveaways!
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So I'm doing just ONE more...

Head on over to Lu Bird Baby and good luck!
(Oh, and one new necklace was just added to the shop)

Up To My Eyeballs

Wow, my to-do list suddenly just exploded!
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Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me a to-do list, and this one happens to be full of really fun things, but it's HUGE!
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Here's just a sample of what I'm working on...
Some new art for our master bedroom using frames from our trip to IKEA with Amy Butler & Joel Dewberry fabric
A Halloween skirt (or something) for Claire. Girlfriend wants nothing to do with costumes, so I'm trying to come up with something to make so she'll at least look festive for the holiday, even if she's not dressed as the cute little monkey I wanted her to be (sniff, sniff). I also just really liked the plaid fabric!Drapes for our living room. We've lived in our house with wide open windows for two years now, but something about a hole being dug next door for a new house is leaving me feeling a little exposed. (Okay, so it's not actually the hole itself, but the construction workers just outside my windows!) Once our living room is done, I have a whole list of other rooms that also need window coverings.
I was signed up to decorate a table for the Christmas Candlelight Tea at my parent's church. The women's ministry at this church is top-notch, and this is quite an event each year. The women really go over-the-top with their tables, so no pressure or anything! And as if that wasn't enough pressure, I was asked to also do the HEAD TABLE where the guest performer, Kathy Troccoli will be seated. Yikes!
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My plan is to do one table starting with the raspberry fabric above as well as the black and white damask plates. I'm hoping to make it really glam using inspiration found in the Peacock Lounge gallery here.
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The second table will be done with the shiny green fabric above and will include lots of jewel tones and peacock feathers. My inspiration for this table is found here.
And finally, I don't know what my plan is for this cute little house...I was just having too much fun with my sewing scraps!
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Don't worry, I haven't given up on Claire's quilt. The quilt top is done and I'm still just trying to pick out a fabric for the back before I send it off.
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And as if that wasn't enough fun, I've got three more necklaces to finish up before yet another giveaway!
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So stay tuned for (hopefully) lots of progress reports!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. Eric's long weekend off from work. Thank you Columbus!
3. A date night on Friday night.
3. Fun fall outings with Eric and Claire this weekend.
4. Bible Study resumes this week.
5. Motrin for a little girl who is popping some teeth.
6. A few completed crafty projects.
7. New neighbors moving in...adding more kids to the neighborhood!
8. Claire's new line, "sure mumma, sure!"
Where does she come up with this stuff?
9. Our new membership to our local children's museum.
10. Another fun necklace giveaway coming up!
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What are you most thankful for today?

Fresh Start Sunday

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you've imagined."
~
Henry David Thoreau

Today I'll Watch

I haven't watched Oprah for quite some time now.
I think it had something to do with the 2008 Presidential election.
(don't hate me)
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But for today's show, I'll make an exception.

Another Giveaway!

Giveaways are just too much fun!
And now I get to giveaway another necklace to help one of my favorite blog-writers celebrate the two year anniversary of her business, Pearls Events.
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I've been reading Aletha's blog for some time now because I love keeping up on all the new trends in wedding and event planning. Not to mention the amazing photos that she posts in her weekly eye candy posts. Seriously, if I were planning a wedding, calling her would be top on my to-do list.
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So, head on over here and share with us your favorite fall treat for a chance to win!
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Good luck!

Monday's 10 Things

Here's what I'm most thankful for, right now!
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1. Another year of Claire in my life. Lots of fun, some challenges along the way, lots of learning and adventures and tons of love for sure.
2. A day spent here with girlfriends as well as 1200+ other moms on Saturday.
3. Eric for taking Claire the entire day so I could have a day off.
4. My new external hard drive, no more stressing about my computer crashing and losing everything.
5. Claire's bout of sickness early Saturday morning is over and she seems to be back in business.
6. Two new girls in my MOPS group.
7. A lazy Sunday afternoon followed by a nice walk outside.
8. Another upcoming necklace giveaway, so fun!
9. My mom who has a big week coming up.
10. My dad who is giving us hours of his time on house projects that we certainly couldn't do on our own.
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What are you most thankful for today?

Fresh Start Sunday

As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you.
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Isaiah 66:13 (NIV)