friday freebie...come and get it!

Oh, yeah...you read that title right. It's FRIDAY FREEBIE today! And, that means free stuff. The hilariously funny heidi at Sacred and Profane asked me if I wanted to host a Friday Freebie and I think it took me, oh...about a second to say yes! Who wouldn't want to be a part of some linky love and if you know me you know I love to give!! So, thanks heidi, not only for today, but for all of your humorous comments and fun posts. You crack me up and keep me coming back for more!

Wanna know what you could win today?

This batch o' goodies!

Your gift includes...a decorative notepad as seen here, 6 handmade gift tags with three different sentiments (happy birthday, just because, and celebrate you), a simple embellished square frame (picture not included...unless you really wanted it...just kidding), and a bag of Starburst/Mike & Ike jelly beans

So, some of you might be asking? How do I get my hands on this?

You'll have multiple chances to enter...I'm in the mood to be generous.

First, leave me a comment with an answer to this question: What is your favorite Easter tradition?
Second, leave me a separate comment telling me that you blogged about today's Friday Freebie and link back to my site using my brand new button! (you'll find it on the left hand side at the top)
Third, leave me a comment telling me that you grabbed that cute new button and placed it on your blog's sidebar.
Fourth, leave me a comment telling me you are a follower or that you just became a follower.

That's FOUR CHANCES TO WIN!! (make sure you leave a comment for each that you choose to do)

Comment by Saturday at 10:00 PM PDT. I'll choose a winner through random.org and announce the winner on Sunday morning!

bunny snacks

It's that time of the week again...time to share something fun and kid friendly! Go check out I Blame My Mother for some motivating ideas to do with your kids!

Disclaimer: This is NOT my idea. I'm just good at replicating. There's no way I could make this stuff up! I did, however, adapt it to work for my 3-year old and the kind of ingredients we happened to have on hand. If you want to see the original idea from KABOOSE, check it out HERE.

Easter Bunny Cracker Treats

We're always up for a fun snack around our house! I ran across this idea and thought this would be so much fun and easy to make! So, we decided to give it a whirl...

I adapted the ingredients a bit since we didn't have some of them on hand. The ingredients that you would need are small slivers of carrots (whiskers), pretzel sticks broken in halves (ears), cheese stick circles (cheeks), raisins torn into smaller pieces (eyes), Craisins torn into smaller pieces (nose), cream cheese, and round crackers

Of course, the ingredients all fit perfectly in a muffin tin!!

Our masterpieces!
It was a bit tricky using the smaller size crackers. The original recipe suggests using water crackers which are a bit larger, but you work with what you got, right?

I was actually a little surprised that Mikayla gobbled these right up. It must have been the cream cheese! I ate two and Mikayla ate two and when they were gone she asked if we could make some more and I said...of course!
Doesn't she look so proud of her work?

So sorry dear bunny...but you were just so tasty!

And hop on over HERE to enter to win something fun!

a little piece of heaven

I won't take too much of your time in explaining what I'm raving about for Things I Love Thursday, but what I am about to share with you is something so divine that you might want to grab a pencil and piece of paper to jot this information down.

I'm a big fan of having a little treat every now and then, especially after the kids are down for the night and the hubby and I have some alone time together. After a long day of staying "on plan", this is when the sweets sabotage usually begins...would you agree?

I don't think I'm alone in saying that I've been working hard (or hardly working depending on the day) at trying to cut down on the mindless snacking or munching. But, every so often I get a sweets craving rush! It must be stopped with something or it can get pretty ugly. (One word: Oreos) Not too long ago I shared of my love for Skinny Cow Icecream Sandwiches. Now, I still love those little bits of goodness, but I think I have just recently found a new love.

Introducing...

Chocolate Truffle Fudge Bars

Ever since I bought these for a friend's birthday (hi, Kim!), I have been over the moon ecstatic about how wonderfully yummy these taste. Oh. My. Goodness. Just a little piece of heaven, you know?

Here in lies the problem: they don't sell them in bulk at Costco like the Skinny Cow Icecream Sandwiches...yet. And, they are a little on the spendier side for me to be indulging in them every night (which, my Weight Watchers friends...I would dub as OK to do if you've saved your points - these babies are only 2 points, and compared to other dessert disasters, that's not too shabby. And, have I gotten the point across that IT'S WELL WORTH IT?)

I guess that's the short and SWEET version. If you're looking for a little something to curb your sweet tooth craving, here's the answer. Just don't let your mind get you into thinking that you should have more than one...in one sitting, that is.

Go visit The Diaper Diaries for more of Things I Love Thursday.

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And, since we're talking a little bit about watching what we eat. My new blogging buddy Amber is helping to motivate all of "us" out there who need a little extra push in the right direction on staying on top of making healthy choices. She just started hosting a weekly series called Extreme Makeover - {Me Edition}. This gives us a chance to share our thoughts and give each other support in this journey we're on towards a healthier and happier lifestyle.

hand in hand

Seriously...can it get any better than this?

{For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.}

pick a color, any color

Nothing too profound to share today other than a fun little Works-For-Me Wednesday tip!

When we purchased Mikyala's dresser awhile back, we loved everything about it (especially because it was only $50 found on Craigslist and in great condition!) However, the one thing I wasn't too keen on were the knobs. They just didn't shout out at me as something you would find in a cute little girl's room.

{Sure wish I had a better close up picture of the knobs, but just click on the picture to see it larger. Who knew when I snapped this photo back in August 2007 I would need it for my blog! We also brightened it up with a paint job.}

This is probably one of those tips that doesn't need to be explained, but here it goes. Short and simple!

Buy some wooden knobs at your local hardware store (or I suppose you could find them at Target)...

Paint them the color of the wall color (in our case, we chose the top color of Mikayla's room since it is two tones of purple).

PRESTO CHANGO!!

Doesn't this scream cute little girl's room now?
{picture taken September 2007...when Mikayla was still in diapers!}

{a more recent shot}

We transformed the dresser quite awhile ago, but just recently decided to change up the knobs in her big girl bed, as well.

It's fun how one little thing can change up the look.
And, by the way...it was rather cheap, too!

WORKS FOR ME!

Head on over to We Are That Family for more fun tips and tricks!

i {heart} faces...going green!

I've seen i {heart} faces a few times on Amanda's blog...she's shared some very neat pictures she's taken, and I thought I would play along this week! I {heart} faces is a fun photography blog that "focuses on the art of capturing faces and their various emotions". Last I checked there were 290 entries for this week's GREEN theme, so this picture might get lost amongst all of the amazing photos, but I thought I would share it anyway.

I was having fun taking some pictures of the kids this morning in their St. Patty's Day clothes. Austin wasn't cooperating too much, but I managed to snap this one of him. I love how this picture shows off my little boy's big blue eyes! (Somebody obviously needs a haircut!)


Go take a look at all of the other green inspired photos at i {heart} faces and play along! Deadline for this week's entries is TODAY!

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The following pictures I'm not going to be entering into i {heart} faces, but I just thought it would be fun to share some more of this morning's photo shoot. I probably could do a lot of creative stuff with "photoshop", but I've got other projects on the brain, so I'll just share them "as is". Happy St. Patty's Day!!

the best one I could get of the two of them together...seriously.

taming my creative space

Oh boy, what a mess! For being as obsessively organized as I am, it seems that I can't quite keep my creative space in tip-top shape, so I can actually sit down and be creative! My desk just seems to be my dumping ground.

So, for today's Tackle it Tuesday, I thought I would do a little sprucing up of my creative space. I feel like this is deja-vu or something!

But, before I show you the vast improvement, I want to show off one of my birthday presents I bought a couple of weeks ago. My parents had given me money to get what I wanted and I used my 40% off Michaels coupon to purchase an embellishment center I could hang on the wall. I've been looking for something to replace the small shelves I already had. When I saw this, I knew it was what I needed!

BEFORE
~ it just seemed like it needed something more...
too much blank wall space ~
AFTER
~ doesn't this make such a difference?
look how much stuff I can put here! ~

It still needs a little bit of tweaking to make it not only functional, but look somewhat decorative on the wall. This is one of the first things that people see when they walk into the play room, so I want it to look neat, orderly, and decorative. I'm planning on making little tags for some of the containers to help add a little flare to it.

Now, onto the mess I really needed to conquer!

Here it is in all its messy glory...

By the way: This picture was even taken after I had started cleaning up a bit. Just picture a lot more piles!

BEFORE

AFTER
let's get creative!!

The funny thing about all of this? I've already tackled this once before about 1 1/2 months ago. Seriously...you have to check this mess out! What's my problem? Anyone else have this problem in keeping things neat and tidy in one specific area? What's YOUR problem area?? (Oh, don't you worry...I have more than one hot spot!)

Now that everything's neat and tidy, it's time for me to tackle some button projects. Are you working on yours? Visit HERE for more information and play along with us!!

Now, go tackle something...big, small, whatever you're motivated to do! I already have next week's tackle in my sights! Spring cleaning on the brain!! And don't forget to head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom for more Tackle it Tuesday!

green cuisine

MUFFIN TIN MONDAY IS GOING GREEN!

~our muffin tin~
grapes, sugar free lime jello, cucumber slices,
green-tinted applesauce, veggie puffs, guacamole
all finished off with some green-tinted milk
(although you can't quite tell in the picture!)

{for others who are going green for St. Patty's Day,
head on over to Her Cup Overfloweth}

come on, let's be honest here

**Don't worry my Friend Makin' Monday friends...you're in the right place. Just keep reading...

Blog awards! I love these things. They make me smile and help me to know that my blogging addiction is being enjoyed by others and not just me!

Thanks to Kasey at All That is Good, I have been given the "Honest Scrap" blog award. She's such a cute mom who has an eye for fashion, an amazing love for her family, and who has the best outlook on life. Thanks, Kasey!



The rules of this award are simple:
1. Write 10 honest (and hopefully interesting) things about yourself.
2. Pass this award onto 7 bloggers who you find brilliant in content and design.

1. I actually enjoy washing dishes. I find it therapeutic. I also find it necessary to actually wash the dishes off before putting them into the dishwasher. Don't worry, I still have piles of dishes on the counter at times. I schedule my own time for these "therapy sessions".

2. I love making lists. I write a list for everything (right now I have 5 running lists) and if there are more than 5 things crossed off a list, I have to rewrite it.

3. Give me a bag of popcorn, red licorice, Diet Pepsi and some DVR'd shows, and I'm quite content. This is my kind of "down time" after the kids go to bed.

4. I am so NOT a morning person. Just ask my parents, siblings, former roommates, and husband. It would be a good idea not to ask much of me in the morning before I get a shower. I like to say that I'm working on it, but I'm not sure that would be true.

5. I always have to be doing something. I can't sit still. Even when I'm watching TV, I have to be working on some sort of project.

6. I'm a perfectionist. To the point that if I can't do it right, I won't do it at all. Sometimes that's a good thing because I do it the right way, and sometimes I drop the ball...usually it involves disappointing myself or my family.

7. I rarely say no when I'm asked something of me. I enjoy keeping myself busy and love taking on multiple roles. It keeps my brain sharp and my creativity alive! I get stressed out when it gets down to the wire, but I do best working under pressure.

8. I got my Masters in Education, and a few short months later had my first child and haven't gone back since...and I'm not sure I ever will. I really loved teaching, but I love staying home and using my creativity for other things.

9. My husband and I were married a year to the day that we first met. We met at a Christmas party at a friend's house on the 2nd Saturday of December, started dating the first part of January, got engaged in August and were married the 2nd Saturday of December. A lot can happen in a year!

10. I love cracking jokes and making people laugh! This doesn't mean that I'm hilariously funny or anything, but I try to pretend. It makes me smile when people laugh at my jokes. Even if it's just one person.

So....if you haven't had enough of me yet, READ ON! Plus, you'll have to keep reading to see who I give the "Honest Scrap" award to!

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Speaking of Kasey. Did you hear? She's back! And I think blog land can now take a huge sigh of relief!! (Just kidding, Kasey! We just all love you so much!)

And, she's all set to go this week with Friend Makin' Monday. She tagged all of us to play along in this question and answer game. Join in, why don't you??

What is your blogger name?
Heidi @ Blue Eyed Blessings

When is your birthday?
February 21st

How long have you been blogging?
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 (my 1-year anniversary is coming up!)
Check out my first post.

Who tagged you?
Kasey from All That is Good

Tell me your five most favorite body parts.
Oh my! Do I have to answer this? Prepare yourself for cop-out answers.
1. My teeth/smile
2. My ears
3. My hands/fingernails
4. My eyelashes
5. My lips

What do you wish most for your birthday?
To be with my family and friends and for me to choose whatever I want to do!

What color are you nails right now?
No polish...nothing unusual.

Have you had any depressing thoughts lately?
Unfortunately, yes. I won't go into detail.

What’s your plan for the next month?
To get back on track losing weight, make a decision about becoming a Stampin' Up! consultant, plan preschool activities for Mikayla, stay on top of my weekly menus, work on MOPS stuff, and try to fit in some blogging time! Whew! I'm exhausted already!

At what age did you have your first crush?
5th grade..it continued through junior high until I finally realized he wasn't worth it. Stupid boy.

Have you attended any school reunions?
My 10 year highschool reunion...no fun. Thankfully, I didn't spend any money to go. I chose to just attend the family picnic.

Have you ever passed gas in public and pretended like you didn’t smell anything?
Kasey told us to be honest, so yes, I have. I just walked away very quickly. Thankfully it was silent...I don't know if it was deadly. I didn't stick around!

Are you a clean freak?
Obsessively!! Although I might say more organized than anything. Although I do like to keep things clean. I can't stand a messy floor!

What era do you wish you were born in?
This era...I'm quite content.

Are you a vegetarian?
Heck, no! That would be impossible for me...sorry.

How many pillows do you sleep with at night?
One regular pillow and a small accent pillow I've misshaped with shoving it under my arms and head for a little more support.

Are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper?
Both. I'm a light sleeper and always the first to hear the kids. But I'm also a heavy sleeper because I never hear Ryan's alarm in the morning...even with it going off at least 4 times.

Do you secretly wear granny panties when your man is not around?
No comment.

What is your ultimate dream job?
Oh my! Anything crafty and creative and not stressful? And that makes lots of money? Is that possible?

What does your husband do that annoys you the most?
When he intentionally does things that push my buttons "just for fun". And those little electronic gadget do-hickey thingies...are they really necessary? (I suppose you're saying the same things about my crafty thingamajigs...so I guess we're even! Love you, Babe!)

What is your dream car?
Don't have one. Anything that can haul around my kids and their friends. I'm good with my Honda Odyssey.

Do you wake up easily in the morning?
I'm not one you want to mess with in the morning. I depend on my husband to entertain my 3-year old for just a little bit longer while he is getting ready for work. I need those extra minutes. Trust me.

Do you like hairy men?
I can't stand hairy necks!

How about a man with a goatee?
Depends on the goatee...I don't like it long and bushy. Although, I do like my man with some scruff.

Which would you prefer: a two-hour spa massage, a two-hour Thai massage, or a two-hour foot massage?
I'm a wimp, so I'm going to go for a 2-hour foot massage. Although a 2-hour spa massage sounds good, too! What would that include?

Have you ever wished you had a different name? If so, what name?
I'm quite content. Thanks, mom!

What is the most extreme sport you have ever done?
Ha! Do you know me? Cross country skiing is probably the most extreme.

Do you prefer traveling in Europe or Asia?
Neither thanks. I'll live vicariously through others.

What is your favorite food?
Pizza!

What is your most embarrassing moment while out on a date?
Is it lame that I can't think of anything?Although it doesn't take much to embarrass me!

Tag! You're it! Head on over to Kasey's and link up!

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And now onto the award...

I would like to give the "Honest Scrap" award to some new blogging favorites.

Katie - A Listmaker's Life
Amber - {ae filkins}
Missy - Simply Red
Sarah - I Blame My Mother
Sarah - Mrs. D. Lightful
Amanda - My Fragrant Life
The Diaper Diaries

P.S. Katie at Katie's Nesting Spot...I would have given this to you, too, but I see that you already received it!

And a long overdue thanks to Tammy at Raising Angels for this creative, inspiring, and friendship award. It's been fun getting to know you "in real life", Tammy!

taste the rainbow

With St. Patrick's Day approaching, I thought it would be fun to do some rainbow activities. Plus, Mikayla has been talking a lot about rainbows, so she was super excited when her momma woke up this morning feeling 100% back to normal and ready to play!

We started off the morning doing a little "old school" painting of the rainbow. I guess that's all my creativity could muster up. I found a rainbow outline here. I copied and pasted it into a regular document and made it to the size I wanted it. Then I let Mikayla get out her paints. Oh, how this girl loves her paints!

We used the correct color order of the rainbow and for those that didn't know (that would be me) the rainbow colors in order are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (which most just combine the last two colors and call it purple). Just think - ROY G. BIV. Although this really works, does anyone else have a more fun way to remember the colors in order?

I was pretty impressed on how much she stayed within the lines and that the paints didn't go everywhere. To help her recognize colors, I had Mikayla find the color of paint when I told her what colors should go next. Then we continued to review the colors as we went along. For some reason she has the most trouble with yellow (or lellow)?


After the paint dried, I cut out the rainbow and pasted it to blue construction paper. Then I got out my cotton balls and we made big, puffy clouds at the ends. See? Old school.

I think it turned out cute and is now hanging on our refrigerator.
What a work of art!

Later in the day, I decided why not do something else that involves the colors of the rainbow? So, we took a walk to the store (our second one in 2 days) and picked up some fruit to make Rainbow Ribbons. This is a fun food activity I included in this month's MOPS newsletter and thought I would try it out! Both of the kids loved it!

Find assorted fruits that match the colors of the rainbow. We used strawberries for RED, oranges for ORANGE, bananas for YELLOW, grapes for GREEN, blueberries for BLUE, and purple grapes for PURPLE. (I'm a little early for the rainbow theme for Muffin Tin Monday, aren't I?)


This was such the cute activity and good, too! It kind of acted as a lunch for the kids. I was a little nervous at first that Mikayla would poke herself, but she was rather cautious. As we did this together, we continued to review the colors and made sure we went in order.


Austin had a blast eating the fruit...although he didn't care for the banana and oranges, so I made one for him minus the two fruits. He had so much fun taking them off the skewer. He was sitting in my lap, so it was hard to get a good picture of him.

Have a happy Friday!!

Go check out I Blame My Mother for more kid friendly ideas.









And for even MORE ideas, check out Saturday Showcase at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

craft challenge giveaway!

First off, thank you to everyone who decided to play along with the FIRST monthly craft challenge during the month of February. I loved all of the ideas you shared and I hope that others were also inspired by your creativity. It's my desire to be inspired and to inspire, and that's why I will be continuing to host the monthly craft challenges. I like creating things that are simple, so I will never challenge you to do anything crazy and complicated! (I only attempt that kind of thing once or twice in a blue moon.) So, if you're up for the challenge, join us for this month's challenge!

But, before I go into more detail for next month's challenge...it's time to reveal the giveaway winner! There were 6 ladies who participated, and if you haven't checked out their creations yet, please go visit HERE. A lot of great things were shared and you don't want to miss it! Who knew there were so many uses for a circle scalloped punch?

Disclaimer: My hopes for the first giveaway was to actually create something because it seems logical with it being a CRAFT challenge and all, but unfortunately my sickness and the busy-ness of life got in the way, so instead one lucky winner will be receiving a set of 12 notecards (3 different styles/colors) and 8 small notecards (4 different styles/colors) to use as she pleases! I think these are the cutest little things and they remind me of being homemade, so does that work?


My trusty little helper drew a name for me. I promise it was legite. I just didn't want to figure out how to tackle anything complicated. It was easy enough with only 6 names to write them out and throw them in a bowl.

The winner is Katie at A Listmaker's Life. Congratulations and when you get a chance, send me an e-mail with your mailing address, and I'll get those in the mail...they're all ready to go!

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Onto the next item of business: If you hadn't already seen the sneak peek for next month's challenge from a couple of days ago, the newest embellishment you'll need to get creative with is...

BUTTONS!

{picture via Oriental Trading Company}

I'm pretty sure there is some amazing stuff that can be created out of these things...I've already seen a few creations floating around blog land. I'll be back to inspire you with some ideas within the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, start getting crafty!!

We'll start linking up on Thursday, April 2nd and you'll have one more week after that. I can't guarantee a giveaway, but you never know...

could it possibly be?

Is Spring finally on its way??

I took this picture on the way to get my mail. My first "outing" in 3 days! I loved seeing a promising sign of Spring popping through the ground.

It was so beautiful today, I just had to get out with the kids after naps. We played for almost 2 hours in the sun. I ended up doing a little weeding and sprucing up of the front yard while the kids were happily playing. Oh, it was bliss! It was so nice to get some fresh air after being cooped up indoors with the flu. According to the news, we're expecting some rain on Friday evening, so I'll be sure to get out and enjoy the sun that we will have for the next couple of days before it rains on my parade!

This is what 3 days of being cooped up will make you do!
(That's her daddy's shirt, by the way!)

We needed that sun. For sure.

Happy Spring everyone!!