I'm A Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinner!!!!

HOORAY!

Kari at U Create sent me an email last night to tell me that I won the random draw for her Say It On The Wall $50 giveaway. Can.You.Believe.It.????

I posted earlier that I was following Texas Type A Mom in her quest to enter giveaways... what you don't know is that I was saying to myself, "I need to enter eleventybillion, because I never win those things..." Well my dear readers (all 6 of you!) never say never!

So, $50... in vinyl... that's like good chocolate for my walls!!!!  Here are a few of the things I am looking at purchasing:

This is the HIL-AR-IOUS saying that I commented on for the contest.

Those of you who know me personally, you KNOW how true that is! LOL and at $10, I think it will be the perfect little tongue-in-cheek hanging for our front door.

I also really like this one - for my girls' room ($12)

And this for THE Boy's room ($15)

I've been looking for something to go over our piano... something about practice... angels... music.... blessings... I don't know...

Maybe this ($18)

That could fit on a 12x12 tile if I aske for it resized a bit.... or I could ask her to widen it a bit and increase the font.

This one is a great one as well ($8.75)

As you can see, I've got a decision on my hands. Which ones do you think I should get - Yeah, I know you are going to say *ALL of them* but really, I only have $50!

Visit Sayitonthewall.com and tell me which ones are your favorites as well!

Don't forget to follow her blog too!

Great Blog Giveaways!

So I looked for a Tuesday linky party that wasn't a tutorial and came up sadly short. SO.... instead I'm stealing following in Texas Type A Mom's footsteps and entering five new blog giveaways today.

Here's the list for the ones I entered... which giveaway's did you enter today?

1. Health, Beauty, Children, and Family - $50 Staples Giftcard

2. Health, Beauty, Children, and Family - $45 CSN Stores giveaway

3. Texas Type A Mom - Skoy Cloth Giveaway

4. Coffee On the Patio - $300 Target Giftcard

5. A Concord Carpenter - Weekly Tool Giveaway

And.... because we are here.... and I'm avoiding Laundry.... AGAIN!

6. Livin & Lovin - $85 CSN Stores giveaway

7. Hair On the Brain - LovMely Accessories

Ok... the kitchen calls. Have fun!!!!

Every NEEDFUL Thing (or 10 anyway)

Ohhh. Kay... So, today we are going to try a new McLinky Monday party called:

10 Things You ABSOLUTELY Can't (or at least wouldn't want to) Live Without

hosted by The Real Housewives of Oklahoma



The rule is these are THINGS... not people...

Ok, so careful thought here and this is what I have come up with :

1: My iPhone... seriously, I killed it a few weeks ago and couldn't do ANYTHING right! It holds my brain. Who are we kidding - it IS my brain. I use it for pic/vids, date timing, scripture/lesson reading, meal planning, project management, FB/web surfing, bratty kid incentive/punishment, ebook reading... I'm trying to learn to blog from it, but that is going slowly. It is for sure my #1 top needful thing.

2: My laptop. It frustrates me, angers me, baffles me... but I would be so disconnected without it. I love Blogger, and FB, and all my fun bloggy buddies! Our family's entire Christmas gift making/giving came from this silly little device.

3: Evidently, the "/" key on my keyboard. Wow. Do you realize I used it FIVE (5) times in the last two items above?! Dang! LOL

4: Our new Sony BluRay/DVD player with Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu. I have yet to get our new HD box from Comcast, so this little diddy has saved me from those dreaded "Mmmoooomm, I'm booorrreeeddd..." outbreaks. On most nights, I turn on an episode of America's Funniest Animals, or Search Funny Cats and Kids after the masses have finished reading for the night. We giggle, we *Gasp*, we all whine when it's bedtime. Yup, I wouldn't have it any other way!

5: My iPhone holder+car charger+FM transmitter. I ♥ this puppy because it does everything I can't do! It is illegal to hold a cell phone while driving in my state and, while it is not as wonderful as my mom's Parrot hands-free, with this little diddy I can use my speaker feature and still be legal. It transmits my favorite songs/audiobooks/conference talks through my stereo and gives me a little ambient noise...to drown out the fighting in the backseats!

6: Our FREEZER! It seriously saves the life of my family on a daily basis!!! We have five hungry bodies in this house.... and sometimes that number nearly doubles on weekends. I couldn't afford to keep my kitchen on the mostly unprocessed and healthy side of things if I didn't have a freezer to keep all of my fabulous, natural, fresh (at purchase) local chicken breasts in. Or the tasty enchiladas and casseroles that we love to make... Mmm!

7: ZAYCON FOODS CHICKEN! *read above* They are a great company, dedicated to honest business and healthy, high-quality foods for cost conscious families. They sell cases of local, fresh chicken for a GREAT price (currently approx. $1.48/lb) and I tell. you. what! These chicken breasts are HUGE... and so super tasty!!! Check them out and see if they have a delivery location near you!

8: Scrapbook MAX! Digital scrap booking software. It is SO easy, so fast, and so fun! Did I mention it's also a fraction of the cost of other commercial editing programs out there? I learned about this great product from My Computer is My Canvas who uses it exclusively to do all of her digital designing. I use it for gift labels, recipe cards, scrap books, crafting.... basically all things paper. I can use practically any digi-file I have purchased both from Scrapbook Max! and from other sites. It is a very easy - my kids use it! I love it!

9: My piano! As a singer, I NEED music! I love to hear my Ladies playing their practice songs, I especially love to hear them play Primary songs and Hymns. I love that they can play... because I cant. Oh, I can plunk out my part - almost in time- if I have to. But that is a sad, sad day... when I have to! Still, I have thought of getting rid of the bulky upright and replacing it with a smaller digital version, but there is something so peaceful about the resonance of the plucked strings. I know why Beethoven was so in love with his music... my daughter is playing Für Elise this month! *sigh*

10: JET DRY dishwasher additive! We are going through a time right now, as the different detergent companies are trying to formulate better cleaning detergents without the use of phosphates in them.... supposedly the phosphates do something to the environment.... but really, what's a few dead fish, compared to clean dishes in my home - really?! Ok... I'm not a total jerk, I don't litter. I try not to waste water. I try to conserve energy. I am actually an advocate for natural, plant-based products with fewer chemicals. But I am SO SICK of grey film and white powder all over my dishes. That is where Jet-Dry comes in! Four washes after filling my reservoir and my glasses and pots are SO SHINY! No nasty film... no teeth clenching etching. We even put a baked on nasty casserole dish in and WOWZAS! It's like new again! I'm so pleased! Click here for a coupon offer from FINISH®

So there you have it.... Today's "Gotta Have" list. Some things change ... lots of things don't... but that's why this is so fun! 

So, come on and post your own list!

SOOC - My Ladies' First Girls Night Out

"SOOC = Straight Out of Camera"

I took my Ladies and their friend to our local shopping mall, for their first real GNO, yesterday. We dug through the clearance bins at Bath and Body Works (free body lotion - thanks to Laura at Thrifty Wifey), ooh'd and ahh'd over all the fun stuff at the various accessory stores, and ate tasty plates of chicken entrees (Bourbon, Broccoli, and Sesame), fried rice, and lo mien! We paused a while to oggle the sweet puppies at the pet store - No, I didn't bring one home!

We spent a little time going through several different clothing stores and really had fun looking at all of the tween-teen styles. One store I've been excited for them to be old enough for is unfortunately going out of business, FORTUNATELY that means 60% off some super cute, trendy outfits for both Ladies! We also saw this bedspread set at JCPenny's that I am absolutely. in. love. with. *Do I smell an inspiration-lift in the horizon? I think, YES!*

But the best part of the night had to be when I let the girls in on my favorite mall ritual... Going to the makeup counter and getting a little glam-over! Their little eyes got so wide and smiles so big when I suggested they get real stuff put on. While I'm pretty conservative with my makeup choices, I do ever so love visiting the Benefit counter at Macy's. The consultant was so fun, she gave each of the girls wonderful compliments and asked them about their hobbies. She told them how important it is to wear just the right amount and how to look glamorous with sheer lip gloss. Best of all, it was FREE! They walked out of there thinking they were movie stars, and I spent the rest of the night with the sad realization that my girls are closer to driving than they are to diapers now!

This is my youngest shopper and OH MY! this is just a glimpse of things to come!

*taken with my iPhone4*

*no edits, because I'm lame like that and don't know how LOL*
I am linking this SOOC to

Beginning a Beneficial Book Club

How's that for alliteration!

www.fromoldbooks.org

I have been thinking of starting a Mother-Daughter book club in which my Ladies, ages 8 and 11, could not only foster a love for reading classic literature through my guidance, but also connect with their friends outside of school. I love the idea that moms and daughters could potentially read aloud together. I also enjoy the idea this kind of club fosters, in that, girls get the opportunity to realize that they can talk with their mother's and that moms understand them.

We continuously teach our children the values and morals that are important to us; spiritually, politically, culturally. We take them to church, watch wholesome movies with them, have dinner with them and facilitate healthy eating and conversations. We meet their friends and their friends parents. We volunteer in classrooms, with church groups, and at sporting events where they spend their energy and time. But have you ever had your child take a Mother's Day quiz about you and NOT rolled your eyes when the answer to the question reads something like this:

Q: My Mom's favorite thing to do on the weekend is...

A: Fold Laundry

*Cringe*

Does your daughter know that you used to dream of being a princess?

Or that you hated math class and wished you could go to a science camp instead?

Does she know that you made dolls from rag mops and cornstalks because you thought Laura Ingalls had the perfect life?

I was recently sorting through a website for ebooks here and it occurred to me that so many of the classics that I read as a student are not being given to our children. What a pity. We have lost the meaning of literature when it comes to our children. Steve Baranick, author of best-childrens-books.com says this about children's literature:

"The phrase children's literature means something different to me than simply children's books. To me literature is the good stuff, the children's books that have stood the test of time."

"These children's books - by definition - aren't "current," but I think you'll find many of them timeless. And how nice it'll be to share with your children literature that you yourself read as a child!"

This is exactly why I want to begin a book club for my daughters. I want to share with them the love of children's literature and see the joy they feel as they excel in their understanding of classic writing styles. I want them to come to me after a high school Lit. class and comment, as I did at 15; "I don't understand why they have such a hard time with Shakespeare. It's just the same as reading the Bible." and "Do you KNOW how many kids in my class have read Poe? Three... two boys and me!"

And so... Now I start to bring my dreams to fruition by beginning this timeless journey of literary exploration with my Ladies!

Here are a few great sites if you are considering starting a children's book club of your own:

• PBS Reading and Language - Book Clubs
• American Girl - Book Club Kit 
• Kidsreads.com 
• LitLovers - Starting a book club grades 3-6
• The Children's Literature Book Club
• Bookclub for Third to Fifth Grades

I am linking to these parties:

Wordless Wednesday ~ Pretty please - with a cherry on top!