LAST DAY FOR 12 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS!

Final day for giveaways at April's blog.  There are some adorable clip arts to choose from and some cute stamps.  I can always use stamps...yeah, right!  I just got them out the other day and found some I didn't even know I had!  oops!  Crafting can easily become collecting, can't it? :)  Have a good weekend...I'll be back with some pics (hopefully) next week!

SHE'S OUTDONE HERSELF!

I can't believe the cute shops April has had on her 12 days of giveaways this week!  Another great shop was featured later this afternoon!  It has the cutest little inspiration packs, etc.  Go take a look and try to win yet ANOTHER great giveaway from her!  Just when I think my favorites on Etsy is going to explode or reach a "limit", I find more talented people!  Does this happen to you too??

DO YOU LOVE FABRIC?

Even if you don't sew, you have to admit there are some fabrics that just beg to come home with you or your mouse seems to come alive and all of a sudden it's grabbing that bundle or that yard and adding it to your "cart."  All of a sudden your checking out, (whether online or in the store) and you've discovered you'll be adding a new set of colors to your fabric stash.  Well, today my friends there is a wonderful place here where you can win a bundle!!!  Go now and try to claim it!!  Maybe this will be your first stack of fabric or maybe it'll just add some new colors to your stash, but either way, I promise it won't be your last!  :)

I LOVE MACS, BUT...

Check, this, this and this out!!  That's all I have to say about that! So many chances to win an amazing computer!  Technology just blows me away sometimes!

WARNING TO ALL...AND ANOTHER GIVEAWAY TO MENTION!

Ok...sorry for a boring post with no pictures, but guess what??  My hard drive is on the fritz!!!  This means all the pics I've taken in the past year and haven't printed are on very shaky ground right now.  I'm in the process of backing everything up.  So...if you don't back up your pictures, documents, etc...here's my warning...PLEASE DO IT NOW!!  When I walked into the Apple store last night and the guy told me what was happening I almost started to cry!  I started to think of the pics of my daughter's first haircut, the pics of all my son's firsts while my husband was deployed, etc.  So...consider this a friendly reminder to please back up your pics somewhere, and anything else that is important to you.  On a lighter note...I have mentioned April's 12 days of giveaways a few times already this week, but the shop featured this morning is amazing and the talented owner of the shop is here in San Diego...yay!!  If you love vintage and Christmas and goodies of all sorts, please head over there right now for this amazing giveaway!  Thanks and hopefully I'll be back later this week with a perfect-working hard drive.  

BIRDCAGE SALE

I personally love my birdcages...they are so cute and whimsical. Yes, I realize that's tooting my own horn a bit, but I really do LOVE them!! Anyways...I'm making up some new ones and put the 2 that are left in my Etsy shop on sale for 1/2 off!!! Please go see them and if they suit you, I'll send them along with a free thrifted vintage ornament!!

CHRISTMAS IS HERE

Ahhhh...the twinkling Christmas lights, the tree, and the home decor came out this weekend. It is simply magical to watch. I love twinkling lights! Something about them makes everything feel cozy, magical, even emotional. As I watched my 2 yr old son put on ornaments this year and pull out ornaments that were created by his big-big-sister (my step daughter), I couldn't help but get teary eyed. December 12th will mark a year since the decision was made by a family court judge to allow her to move to her mother's after living with her father for 8 years (and with me for 6 years). In some ways I am so happy to have made it through this year, but on some days I can hardly believe that our family has become so incomplete without her here. I put an ornament on the tree that she had made during December of last year at her school. She was smiling a silly 8-yr-old smile that just hit me so hard. I had to go in her room and "let it out." She was so happy here and as I looked at that picture I thought how sad it was that at that moment in time she had no idea how much her life was going to change in the next month. Ok...so I'm getting sappy instead of excited about my tree and our lights, etc. Anyways...she'll be here the day after Christmas this year and hopefully it will be a week of joy and laughter and togetherness. So...to end...it was a wonderful feeling to put up the tree and remind the children of Jesus' birthday, but also a small, sad reminder that our family is minus one until she returns. I pray that although she is far away and in a home so different from ours that she will remember what Christmas is all about and be filled with excitement for her next visit. Thanks for reading my sappiness! :) Oops...pictures are out of order! Oh....and remember I take horrible pictures, so yes...these are the best ones I captured! Pretty horrible, huh? Oh, well...maybe that can be a New Year's resolution! :)