answers revealed - part two (love, marriage, and family)

Updated to add on 5/25/09: The first question is for Kasey's Friend Makin' Monday and since I had already answered it, I thought I would link up this post!

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Welcome to Part 2 of "answers revealed"...I hope that you are enjoying getting to know just a little bit more about who is behind this crazy blog! Check out HERE for part one.

Question #2 from Vivienne at The V Spot - How did you meet your husband and how did he propose?

My husband and I met at a Christmas party in 2002. My very good friend, Kara and her roommate were having a casual get together of friends during the holiday season. I was invited by Kara and Ryan (my husband) was invited by her roommate. It was obvious at the party that he was into me, so I was happy to see an e-mail from him on Monday morning at work. The day after the party, he had asked Kara's roommate for my e-mail and phone number. We "chatted" away on e-mail for a week and then it was my Christmas break (I was a teacher at the time). He just so happened to be taking off some time around the holiday as well, so we ended up doing quite a bit together throughout that next couple of weeks, and then pretty much became inseparable after the New Year. It was obvious from the very beginning that we were meant to be together! To make a long story short, we were in engaged by August 2003 and married just 4 short months later in December 2003.

Ryan proposed to me on August 1, 2003. I had been camping with my family and he was going to come up later in the weekend. However, he surprised me by arriving the day before he was supposed to get there. I didn't think anything of it until he asked me to get into the car because he had something he wanted to show me. At this point I started to get a bit suspicious. He took me to a secluded part of the beach where he had set up a blanket surrounded by red roses.

this picture came from my scrapbook
(I guess I hadn't gone digital yet?!)

He had packed a picnic lunch for us and he had also written a song that he sang to me (after pulling his guitar from behind the large piece of driftwood you see in the picture). It was a very romantic moment and one that I will never forget. We both were beaming from ear to ear after we got back to camp. Later in that same day, he took me horse back riding on the beach!!


My mom was visiting for the summer and leaving fairly soon so he wanted to ask me to marry him while she was here so we could go dress shopping together, but he hadn't officially gotten my ring yet, so I had one "on loan". I actually got proposed to twice (by the same man, of course!) because about a month later, he gave me THE RING on a day at the beach.


Question #3 from Emily at Powell Power - What are some of the details from your wedding?

Ryan and I were married on December 13, 2003. Of course the visions were of snow falling all around us, but I should have been a little more realistic and living in Oregon there was no sign of snow on our special day, but instead a whole lotta rain! Despite the weather, it was a beautiful day. We got married at 4:00 in the afternoon, so my plan was to use lots of candles in the church. I am a pretty simple gal, so I (with a lot of help, of course) did a lot of it myself. I met with my church decorator pretty soon after getting engaged and had all of the details laid out. Since we were getting married around Christmas, we collaborated with the church decor team and they agreed to use the colors I had chosen for my wedding in their Christmas decor. (For a few more decor details, check out this post.) I remember walking into the church before the guests had arrived and seeing all of the candles lit and remembering how perfect it looked! I was happy with the way it turned out. The only thing I would change was our photographer. I don't think he captured the moment at its prettiest. Too bad my friend Annie wasn't doing photography back then!


The reception was also something I had envisioned. I love how it turned out. Again, it was simple, but perfect!! We decided that instead of sheet cake, we would do cheesecakes for the guests and have one small cake for us to cut into.


To end the evening, we ran to the car under an umbrella tunnel (Ryan had purchased nice umbrellas for all of his groomsmen!). I wouldn't expect anything less living in Oregon.


Question #6 comes from Shelley at Through A Mother's Eye - Do you plan on having any more children?

On this day, at this moment...no, we are not planning on having any more children. We are quite content with having one boy and one girl and doing man-on-man defense. Our two children are pretty close in age (only 17 1/2 months apart!). Not something we had planned per se, but something that we really enjoy now. So, it doesn't mean that 3 (or 4) children are out of the question (just kidding on the 4, babe!), but for now life is good and we're satisfied with the two blue eyed blessings we have. We'll just have to wait and see...

Question # 9 comes from Mimi at He & Me + 3 - What is your family's favorite thing to do together?

I have to admit that we are quite the homebody family. We enjoy outings every now and then, but Austin is hit and miss with being out and about (he's not as easily content as Mikayla was at his age). So at this stage we enjoy doing things here at the house. Our favorite is when it's nice outside because then we'll just hang out and watch the kids play. Sometimes we'll also just hang out indoors doing the same thing...watching the kids play. We also like having family over for dinner to just relax with us. We'll watch an occasional movie together as a family, but usually the attention span doesn't last for a whole movie (mine and the kids!). My hope is to start doing themed movie nights with fun food! We'll see if that happens, but I love the idea of it.

Question # 14 comes from my *new* friend Sarah O. (we met through MOPS) - How old are you and your husband, where did you both grow up, how long have you been married and where do you guys go to church?

Gotta love this one...nice and easy! I turned 31 in February and my husband will be 29 in July. I grew up in Newberg (surprise, surprise!) and my husband grew up in Gresham. This past December we celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a trip to Southern California just the two of us! (If you're looking for something to do, you can check out the fun we had HERE.) Just this last fall, we began attending Woodhaven Community (in Sherwood), but before that we attended Northside Community (in Newberg) where I had been going for 30 years!! I'm a creature of habit, what can I say!

Coming up next?
A little bit of random!!

it's been awhile...

You probably haven't seen me around in awhile for Friend Makin' Monday...but I'm back!! I'm so happy to see you and I'm glad you stopped by to say hello!

Kasey at All That is Good gave us this quick and simple task for today: Copy and paste these questions to your blog and give them your own answers. (Go check out her blog for more details and rules.)

Let's get started!!

You wouldn't be caught dead where? in a bar (not that there's anything wrong with that)

Do you have any hidden talents? I can whip up a pretty mean batch of chocolate chip cookies (sorry, I got nothing else!)

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at: organization & keeping secrets

Name two things you consider yourself to be very bad at: keeping my bathroom clean (in our room) & going to bed at a decent time

Have you ever won a trophy? no (sad!)

Name one thing not many people know about you: I have to have the noise of a fan to sleep the best.

Name your earliest memory: Holy smokes! I have a terrible memory when it comes to this. My sister can always whip out a memory from our childhood, but most times I don't believe her because I don't remember any of it!

What was your favorite musical group in jr. high? I'm a Debbie Gibson & Tiffany wannabe from those early days. No actual musical group stands out to me...anyone want to share one from the early 90's that might ring a bell? (Remember that whole memory thing from the previous question?)

What was something the worst roommate you ever had did? I've had THE BEST roommates! Except for my freshman year in college when my roommate was never around and would stay out way past curfew (I went to a Christian college). I should probably add that I am a huge rule follower, so this was really hard for me. She and I had really different personalities and I thought that it was going to be the hardest year living with her. Then, one day about a month or so into school out of the blue she tells me that she wants to move out (and by the way...I NEVER said anything to her about breaking the rules. I'm not like that.) All in all, it was the best thing that happened to me because the second semester of my freshman year I had another roommate and we are still good friends to this day! Oh, and my former roommate? She literally moved a couple doors down the hall with an exchange student from Japan where she could stay out late as much as she wanted to and smoke up a storm.

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher and that's what I did.

What was your worst dating experience? I didn't date much, so I think I was saved from a lot of dating nightmares. My first kiss was actually with my now hubby. Isn't that sweet?

If you were about to die what would your last meal be? A good old Thanksgiving meal full of turkey, heaping pile of mashed potatoes, corn, roll with butter and jam, stuffing, should I go on?

Who is the most important person in your life? my husband

If your house was on fire what 3 things would you grab on your way out? Besides my family... my purse, our external hard drive for our computer (pictures!!), and my scrapbooks if I had extra time (I've got a whole lot of them!)

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I'm in the middle of answering some more "getting to know you" questions from some of my readers, so come on back if you haven't visited my blog yet before, and would like to get to know me just a little more! My first set of answers about my creative inspirations can be found here. Coming up you'll learn a little bit about love and marriage!


And, I was so excited to see that I was featured on Tip Junkie today with this post (originally posted on my HB Creative Design site).

answers revealed - part one (being creative)

This last week I was going through a little bit of blogger's block, so I opened it up for my readers to ask me questions. My original intention was that I would update that same post with my answers, but after a mishap with deleting everything I had written (so sad!), I decided instead I would answer the questions over a series of posts.

Hope you enjoy getting to know me a little bit and thank you to those who asked me questions. Feel free to ask me anything else you might want to know along the way!

Question # 1 comes from Dawn at Eventually Cottage - What inspires your creativity the most?

I've always been one who loves to create! I remember in junior high and high school I would always try to make things "cute". I couldn't just turn in a plain and simple report. It had to have some sort of flair to it. In college, when I chose to be a teacher, this was the perfect outlet for me to not only fulfill my love for being with kids, but also my passion to create and inspire! Ultimately, I enjoy being inspired by others and then creating something from that idea and making it fit to work for me! I see borrowing ideas as the greatest form of flattery. I like to try many different things and so when I see something I *think* I can create, then I go for it! Sometimes it flops and sometimes I'm excited about what I create. The important thing is to keep creating.

Question #4 from the Princess of Everything (and then some) - What is your favorite craft and why?

My favorite craft would have to be scrapbooking. It has been a constant creative outlet for me. However, my scrapbooking style has definitely evolved throughout the years. It's actually been quite comical looking back and seeing what style I was into at certain times...and how much I have improved! I've shared just a couple of my scrapbooking projects before, but I might just have to share more in the future! I'm headed to an all day scrapbook day next Saturday, so I'll be sure to share some of those pages. Besides scrapbooking, I also go in and out of what kinds of things I like to do. I enjoy seeing what others create and then I think "hey, I can do that, right?" This keeps me trying new things and seeing if I enjoy it or not. Lately, I have been into stamping cards and creating other stamping projects. I suppose it might have something do with recently becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!? However, I should probably tell you that I feel I am far from talented in the areas of knitting, crocheting, quilting, or any kind of sewing for that matter. I leave the sewing expertise to my mother!

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In wrapping up the first installment of "answers revealed", I'll leave you with my latest creative project. I finally finished Mikayla's thank you cards! I always enjoy making thank you cards, but sometimes it takes me a little longer than I hoped. But I'm happy how they turned out to go along with her lollipop-themed birthday party!

wrapping up ribbons

April's Monthly Craft Challenge randomly drawn winner is...

CONGRATULATIONS!
Sarah @ I Blame My Mother
{Sarah, e-mail me with your mailing address at heidilynneboos@hotmail.com}

I'll be sending you one of these in the mail...

Thank you to everyone who participated in the ribbon challenge this month! 26 of you joined in the fun (that's double from last month!) and I love that it's getting bigger and bigger, which means there are more and more ideas being shared! That's what it's all about...to inspire and be inspired!

Are you ready to hear the challenge for next month?

So, where are all the places you can put a MONOGRAM?

A monogram is defined as
a design composed of one or more letters, typically the initials of a name, used as an identifying mark.

I have really seen some cute things out there and now I want to see what you all have to share! It can be something you have done before, or something that you come up with during the month of May.

So, get those creative wheels turning and come back to share on the first Thursday of the month on June 4th. In a couple weeks, I'll be scouring the internet like I do each month to give you a little inspiration and send you in the right direction. Have fun getting creative!

still stuck

OK, I'm still at a loss for words, but I have the itch to blog, so you want to help me out?

The first 10 people who comment, ask me a question about something you would like to know about me or my family, and then I will update this post with the answers.

Ask away...I've got nothing to hide.

Or do I? I guess we'll find out!

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Updated to add: Thanks for all of your great questions! I can't wait to answer these questions...again. I'm so frustrated! I had answered 8 of the 11 questions when my Firefox shut down and then when I restored it, ALL OF MY ANSWERS were gone! And, I had spent quite a bit of time on these because I was so excited to share my answers. But, instead of spending another hour or more (I'm gonna cry!) answering these all in one long post, and trust me it was getting long, I thought I would take a few different posts to answer the questions you have asked. In fact, because it was so fun...I'll take a few more questions if there's anything you'd like to know! Thanks for sparking some blogging energy!

Urgh! Sometimes I love computers and sometimes I don't!

But, I will answer part of question #1 - I won't be doing another Craft it Forward, but my good friend Kim at Caldwell Cuties is doing one right now, so head on over to sign up under her. She makes amazing cards!!

blogger's block

Anybody else suffering from blogger's block? I'm having a tough time trying to come up with something creative, witty, or funny to share. I got nothin', I tell ya'! Nothin'! Not only am I suffering from what to write...I'm hitting a creative plateau (to my craft it forward ladies - your gift will come soon...I promise!!).

I'm hoping that this all passes real soon because I DO NOT LIKE IT!

But I do have lots of love for these blue eyed boys...



And this gorgeous girl is right up there with them...


And one just for Wordless Wednesday...

My husband's gonna love this! Kind of like when I shared this one.

Happy Wednesday!!
Hope you're all having a great week!

**And, don't forget you {still} have one more day to participate in the Monthly Craft Challenge - Ribbons! I'll be choosing the winner on Thursday evening and will share on Friday who the winner is and what the next challenge "assignment" will be. Thank you to all who joined in this month...I hope you felt inspired.

she's back...almost

I just did something completely out of character for me. Something totally crazy. And I actually winced a bit in pain after it was over.

I "marked as read" ALL of the posts in my Google Reader without actually reading them! Yes, 400+ posts!! (I have a lot of blogs I love, what can I say?)

My personality is one that I NEVER do this. I love to comment (if not daily than every other day) on so many of my favorite blogs. Even if I'm behind on my reading, I still like to go back to comment, but seriously...this was getting a little out of control! I was way too far behind to get caught up the way I would have liked to. So, even if it pained me to have done it, I had to. For my sanity.

I hope you all forgive me if you haven't seen me around at "your place" in awhile. And, of course please forgive me for not reading some of the posts you put hard work into. Trust me...I know it's not something that comes quickly. This last week was so busy that I just had to give up on commenting to truly get things done. I'm working on that whole priority thing, you know?

But the good news?

I'm back...kind of. I still have a good-sized list I'm trying to hack away at, but it's so much smaller than it was. So, I hope to have a little more free time to come on by and say hello. And, if you could do me a favor...PLEASE leave me a comment if you have a post in the last week that I should come check out. No, seriously. Even if I deleted them...I know there are some great things to read, so I would love to hear it!

Oh, and you still have until Thursday to enter into the Monthly Craft Challenge - Ribbons! Go check out all of the great things created. We had such a wonderful turn out this month!!

Hope you all had a blessed Mother's Day!

ribbon round up...and you're invited!

Welcome to this month's craft challenge!!
Are you ready to get inspired and have some fun?
Let's do this!

As I've said in the previous two challenges (scalloped craft punch and buttons), my hope for these monthly craft get togethers is for you to be challenged to create
something and have fun doing it!

It's simple: Each month, I give you an embellishment, tool, or idea and you get to create something fun to share with the rest of us! You have one month to work on the project (big or small) and then you come back to share your creation on the
first Thursday of the month.

I have two projects I would like to share with you. The first one you can see in more detail here since I've shared it once before. (Sorry, it's not the best picture, but you get the idea, right?) I took one thick piece of ribbon and attached it to a wooden butterfly to turn it into a bow holder. It works like a charm in Mikayla's room!


I wish I had some other fancy shmancy ribbon project to share, but in my search for a fun ribbon project, I found this idea instead. I had everything I needed, and since I have a bit of an organizing obsession I was super excited to make this! I've been looking for a better way to store all of my ribbon pieces, so this is my do-it-yourself ribbon scrap carrier.

I simply used one of those clear bags that curtains or sheets come in (I keep all of that kind of stuff and it really paid off this time!) I was going to give you the run-down of how you put this together, but just check it out here instead...they've done the explaining for me and I copied it exactly! I like to take my ribbon with me when I go scrapbooking and I love that now I can just throw a bunch of rolls of ribbon in here, too, and take it on the go. Most of the pieces that are in here are longer than 12 inches. I have smaller ribbon pieces that I keep in a jar for random uses like cards and such.

Now, it's YOUR TURN!!

1. Link up your post (new or old) to Mister Linky below and be sure to link to the ACTUAL POST and not just your blog, so we know where to find your idea!
2. In your post, either use the button on the left side bar or a link to my site for others to be able to join in the fun or to come on by to see what everyone has created.
3. Try to visit as many of the participants as you can and comment on their creations.
4. I will leave Mr. Linky up for one week and it will close on Thursday, May 14th.
5. A random winner will be chosen from the participants and be announced next Thursday. They will receive...

Ever since I got this, I don't need the one I have...so one of YOU might get it! It's like new, so don't think you'll be getting a dented up hand me down! It holds all sizes of ribbon by simply adjusting the dividers. It's quite handy to keep all of your ribbon in one space.

6. I will also give you your next "assignment" on Thursday of next week. And, it's a fun one!! But aren't they all?

your basic black suitcase

Just a quick tip for today's Works for Me Wednesday!

I've been brainstorming some ribbon projects for tomorrow's Monthly Craft Challenge party. And somehow I got to thinking how you could use ribbon as a luggage identifier. When my husband and I got married we, of course, registered for the basic black luggage set which everyone else also owns! So, when we would go on vacation (which really isn't that often) we had a hard time trying to figure out which luggage was ours in the mass amount of black luggage.

To solve that problem I decided to tie on a few ribbons, so that now when the luggage is passing through the carousel we can instantly spot ours! I know this isn't quite a genius idea. My mom actually uses a fabric scrap for hers, so I kind of copied the idea from her, but I thought I would share it anyway because I know it will work for me (maybe we should plan a vacation just to test it out!) I wanted to be all cute and tie on lots of colors of ribbon, but then I got to thinking...every now and then my husband goes on solo business trips and I'm sure he doesn't want to be lugging around a "frilly" looking suitcase. In fact, this might be pushing it a bit. (Good thing I did it on just the large suitcase, huh, babe?)


Come to find out...today's WFMW is the Frugal Edition. This would definitely be considered frugal...just head to your ribbon scraps and with just a few pieces of ribbon you're good to go. Go check out more frugal tips at We Are That Family.

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Don't forget to come back tomorrow so we can all share our ribbon craft projects. If you want to come back to join us, please do! We're linking up new or old posts that showcase ribbon projects so that we can be inspired to keep creating!! Want more information, go HERE. If you don't have something to share, that's OK...just come on back anyway to see what others have been up to!

coming up for air

Woah! It's been busy! And, I'm in for a full week of lots of {fun} stuff to do! I just need to get a grip on everything and sit down to make my long list and straighten it all out in my head. But, I thought since I have a few moments while the kids are napping and I'm enjoying some lunch, I would check in to say hi!

I haven't been making my usual rounds to come visit you all in the last couple of days because I've been getting ready tackling my first Stampin' Up! Open House! I had so much fun getting my projects together, cutting the paper, ribbon, etc. I know it sounds strange, but I just like that sort of thing. It kind of brings me back to the days of teaching and preparing projects for the kids. My kids' teachers in the future are going to hit the jackpot with me since I'll volunteer to help out with all of that kind of stuff!

I'd love to show you the two projects that all of the guests got to "make and take" home:

Project #1: Candy Pouch
(click on picture to see the actual project up close)

I found this great tutorial HERE (hers were Easter-themed) if you'd like to make these for yourself. Wouldn't they make great little favors at a baby shower or birthday party?

Because I knew that I would be busy with chatting with so many people, I tried to type out directions just in case someone might need them, but it's a lot harder to explain something in writing! I think the guests really enjoyed this project. It was just something fun and different and it gave them a chance to use some of the various supplies SU! has to offer.

Project #2: Greeting Card

I tried to pick a card design that would still showcase SU! products, but yet be a card that was doable for all creative abilities. I love using images that I can color in. It's one of my favorite ways to dress up a card.

A few more snapshots of the evening...pre-guests. Because, as typical, once everyone came I forgot that I even own a camera. I would have loved to have gotten some pictures of crafters in action!

Door prizes for those who brought a friend or booked a workshop

Grand door prize for the name I drew at the end of the evening!
Congrats, Sarah S.!
This little box comes with 2 of each gift tag shown

Welcome Station
the guests were able to try out the new alphabet stamp set and make name tags

Inspiration Station
thankfully the gal I signed up under brought some fun projects
to show off using a variety of SU! supplies

Information Station
so much to look at think about...there's so much SU! sells!

Demonstration Station
circle cutter and die cut machine by SU!

There was also a Goodie Station, but no picture...just visualize chocolate covered pretzels, apple slices, mini banana muffins, and crackers and cheese. Just a few treats for anyone who wanted to munch.

Overall it was a successful evening with about 15 guests who stopped by! I was happy to see the turn out and to offer some fun things for them to make and an opportunity for them to browse all the fun products, so they could keep crafting, too! I look forward to hosting many more events in the future. And, for those of you who came and are reading this...THANK YOU!! I'm so glad you came! And an even bigger thank you to Andrea, my "up-line" for taking the time to help me have a successful open house. I can't wait to work with you in this adventure!!

This was definitely a {fun} tackle for me!! Head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom for more Tackle it Tuesday.

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Time's up! Back to the grind...and tackling that "to do" list.

I'm finishing up a baby announcement for a dear friend of mine and I think it's turning out so cute! I was also contacted by someone I don't know asking if I would do a thank you/monogram announcement for her son. This is unusual since I usually just work on things from "word of mouth", but it was fun to know that someone was interested because of my HB Creative Design blog.

Just a quick reminder about this Thursday's Monthly Craft Challenge get together...don't forget to be working on those ribbon projects!! Need inspiration? Go HERE. There WILL be a giveaway for one lucky participant!

yes, he really is that cool

I just couldn't resist sharing this picture of Austin at 8 months old (he is now 19 months!). This week's theme at i {heart} faces (a fun photography blog) is hats! So, I searched for one of my favorite pictures of my little blue-eyed boy. Go check out all the other great photos by clicking the button above.

I love this little man!

ribbon inspiration

The Monthly Craft Challenge get together is coming up THIS THURSDAY! Are you excited? Have you been working on your projects? Don't worry you're not the only one who hasn't...I'm a little behind, but my project (or projects if I'm ambitious) will be ready to show off this Thursday.

So, in the meantime...if you need a little inspiration. Here are a few things I have found as I scoured the internet a bit. There's some great stuff out there!!


{image via Country Living}

Handheld Ribbon Streamers
Ribbon Bookmarks (these even include buttons!)
Ribbon Headband
Ribbon Rings and more Ribbon Rings
Ribbon-Inspired Holiday Decor (who cares if the holidays are over...there is some amazing stuff to see!)
Upgrade a Lampshade
Ribbon Flowers on a scrapbook page (adorable!)
Ribbon Belt
Ribbon Wreath (I might just have to do this one!!)
Ribbon Greeting Card
Ribbon Egg Cards (I know it's not Easter anymore, but these are too cute and can be adapted for various occasions I'm sure!)
Ribbon Mobile

There, that should whet your appetite a bit, don't you think?

And just for fun and because I know there are many of us who have a lot of ribbon just hanging around needing a little straightening...check out these ribbon organizers. And here's a do-it-yourself ribbon ring or you could just buy one here.

Are you inspired yet? Share with me what caught your eye from this list! And, if you feel like spreading the word, grab that little button over there on the left that says Monthly Craft Challenge so that others can join in the fun!

So, whether it's ribbon in scrapbooks, on cards, or in hair,
Simple, extravagant or something with flair,
Come on back Thursday, I'd love for you to share!

feeling flattered and blushing a little, too

When I first started this blog my intentions behind it were to show off pictures of my kids. Which, of course, what momma isn't proud to do that? I was going to save my "creative posts" for my other blog, HB Creative Design (I dabble a little bit in creating digital photo cards). I soon began to realize that keeping up with two blogs was going to be impossible! So, I switched everything to one blog...right here at Blue Eyed Blessings. I still have my other blog but only with the intention to showcase the photo cards I continue to create.

Some weeks it's all about my kids and sharing projects, activities, and the fun we have or just some of the mischievous (but still cute) things they do around the house. Some weeks I get all crafty and am inspired to show off my own accomplishments whether it be organizing or some of my creative projects. And every once in awhile (or once in a blue moon I should say), I get somewhat deep, but I'm not one to just put it out there "as is", even in my real life. Ultimately the desire I have for blogging is that I want my blog to be a place of inspiration! Some understand my addiction, others may not, but either way I have felt blogging has given me a chance to release all of that creativity and passion that I have within!

I am so thankful to everyone who comes by on a regular basis and leaves such great comments. I read each and every one of them, and try as often as I can to either come visit or reply in an e-mail. It means a lot to me that you would take the time to leave a comment so I would love to do the same for you. I am completely blown away at how my blog has become a place where so many love to come and visit. That truly is so flattering and I have gained so many friendships because of that. So, I guess I can say I'm the lucky one!!

You might chuckle at this, but when I first started writing this post I couldn't come up with what I wanted to say! Obviously I found my words, so I suppose I should get on with the purpose of this post and that is to say THANK YOU to some wonderful bloggers who have so sweetly passed on a few awards.


Tanya at The Miller Racing Family & Kelli at Outside my Kitchen Window passed along the "Splash Award". Both of these women are amazing women of God who share their hearts and passions on a regular basis on their blogs. They are inspiring in so many ways and leave such sweet comments!

This award is given because they think my blog is alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring! Holy smokes, ladies! I'm starting to blush a little. I often have a hard time taking a compliment, but I so appreciate you being so thoughtful and passing this award onto me!

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Maridith at The Procrastinator Crafter & Rhonda at Down Memory Lane passed along the "Lemonade Award". I love Maridith's blog for her craftiness and I am certainly one to relate to the procrastinator in her blog title! Rhonda is always so sweet to leave comments and I love checking in on all that she and her family are up to!

This award is all about recognizing those blogs with great attitude and gratitude. Thanks, ladies for seeing something in my blog that you feel shows this! I feel honored and very grateful!

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The Masked Mommy so graciously passed along the "Super Blogger Award". I find this one super special since she started the award and I was one of the first to receive it! The Masked Mommy (and she truly is masked and has yet to reveal herself!) has some inspiring things happening on her blog. Whether it's a crafty project, her organizing ambitions, or party planning...she's doing it all!

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This award given to me from Tanielle at Polka Dot Daisy kind of makes me chuckle a little. I'm SO FAR from the queen of anything and awesome? Really?! Not so much, but hey what woman doesn't like a good crown? I was never voted queen (or even princess) in high school, so I'll take it! Tanielle is such a fun blogger and her blog is always full of something that will keep you coming back for more...and she probably has some of the most adorable little kids!

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I just have so many fabulous readers and favorite blogs that I can't narrow down the choices of who to give these awards to (lame excuse? maybe), so instead I will be holding a GIVEAWAY for all of my readers!! It has almost been ONE YEAR since I first started blogging. I can hardly believe it! Stay tuned for giveaway details...my official "blogiversary" is May 27th (the date of my first post), but I'm sure I won't be able to wait that long to share what I have planned.

Ooh boy! This was a doozy of a post! Thanks for sticking with me and joining me in this crazy little addiction...I mean adventure of mine!

Want to know what else is my addiction?

These precious little things...

Look at them holding hands. Oh, the moments I enjoy capturing.

Have a blessed weekend!

beautify your home...posts from the past

The Masked Mommy is having a Beautify Your Home Pow Wow happening now through Sunday! Head on over and link up some of your favorite posts about decorating your home and get some decorating inspiration in the process!

Here are some of the posts I am sharing:

Baby Boy Nursery


360 Degree Tour of the Play Room

Kid Bathroom

craft it forward

Awhile back I participated in a game called "Pay It Forward" that Heidi at Tayterjaq's Rebels was playing on her blog. A month or so ago (I'm a bit behind...sorry!), I received these goodies in the mail!


And now it is my turn to pay it forward...

There are many different versions of this that I have seen lately, but I'm going to stick with the version I "signed up" for, but I'm going to bend the rules just a bit and instead of just paying it forward, I'm going to CRAFT it forward.

Here are the rules:
1) Be one of the first THREE bloggers to comment on this post.
2) You then agree to share your snail mail address with ME (leave me your e-mail in the comment and I'll contact you) so I can send you a small gift handmade by ME (lucky you!)
3) When you receive your gift, you then blog about this game & link back to my blog in that post.
4) And most importantly, you ALSO AGREE to "craft it forward" (or just pay it forward if you'd rather) and send a small gift to the 3 people who comment on your blog post...

Make sense?

So, let's play!!

Who's it gonna be??

**Remember NOT to post about this game until AFTER you have received your gift (but you might want to do it a little sooner than I did!)...