today.

Today I chose to just let it go.

Time to make the best of it, because I am done moping and I am ready to talk myself into believing that
things happen for a reason.

Thank you God for listening to my prayers this week.

mystery of mae-mae.

Ever since Leighton could talk...we have yet to solve the mystery of mae-mae.
Enter Exhibit A:

You might recognize her as the face of Wendy's. I do not know her real name and I guess I always assumed her name was 'Wendy' (duh!). Anyhow, one day when we went to Wendy's (because my husband loves himself a frosty), Leighton kept pointing to her saying mae-mae. It was like she was trying to get my attention to tell me, 'Mommy this is mae-mae'. I am puzzled to this day to how she decided that 'Wendy' was mae-mae and what exactly that could mean. She still calls her mae-mae, whenever she happens to see that logo. I guess it will always remain a mystery to me.

So now I have myself wondering...have your kids ever come up with any crazy names?

things i dislike.

Today was one of 'those' days and it seemed as though a lot of things/scenarios kept popping up that I wish I could have clicked a 'dislike' button for. I thought I'd share a few {sorry, some of these are gross - but unfortunately they happened...today}

1. Remnants of someone else's turd in the bathroom toilet. Nothing like seeing a disintegrating poop log when you kick open the bathroom stall at work. DISLIKE!

2. Neighbors who park their hillbilly monster truck on their front lawn, I don't know...maybe the truck doesn't like to be parked in the freakin' driveway where it belongs?! DISLIKE.

3. Slow people who work at Target - Leighton and I went to Target and she wanted a cherry Slurpee...so we went to the food court area and I am not lying when I say we were 'next in line' for about 20 minutes, while the lady who worked there rang up a popcorn and gave the girl a cup (to fill her own drink)?! I never seen anyone wash their hands, fill a popcorn bag and move so slowly as I did today. Leighton must have repeated that she wanted a Slurpee about 1,357 times. I had to bite my tongue and not tell Leighton that this lady was the slowest person on the face of mother earth, for fear she would repeat that out loud. Thinking back, I should have told her - it would have been funny and at least then I could have laughed. Major DISLIKE!

I am glad I got those off my chest. Thank you very much for listening.
Feel free to go about your day.

here we are again...

The holiday season has started. I hear Christmas music in the stores and the trees and decorations are up everywhere! And this year I am really sticking to the promise I made to myself to get all of Christmas responsibilites completed early. No last minute (read: panic) shopping. Getting our holiday pictures taken before Thanksgiving (hopefully!) and getting out our Christmas cards prior to our norm lately of 1 week before Christmas. In the past, since we've been so last minute with our cards, I have had to make them myself. And to be quite honest, I never really found a place that had a good selection of cards that were reasonable in price, until now. I had to take another look at Shutterfly.

Now, I am not new to Shutterfly...as I have ordered pictures, photo books and note cards in the past. But, I guess I never really noticed how fantastic their Christmas cards are. What appeals to me the most is how modern and fresh the designs are...even the religious ones. What I have found is that most religious cards are pretty darn ugly and I know this is terrible to say...but it has dissuaded me from buying them most of the time. But, not the ones available on Shutterfly - they are colorful, cute and up-to-date. I love them!

Another item to note...since I am a maker of paper good myself (invites, labels, note cards, etc...) paper and printing quality is really important to me and are details that I cannot overlook. I can happily endorse the quality that Shutterfly offers based on orders that I have placed in the past. The paper is weighty, not thin like other competitors and the printing quality is excellent, never grainy. Plus, they ship speedily and really go to lengths to make sure that your stuff arrives in pristine condition. These are some of the most important reasons why I order from them, myself (just sayin!).


So, now....here are a few of my favorites (click on the pictures to link to Shutterfly).

Adorable and what Christmas is all about!

I LOVE how you can personalize this one!

What can I say? It's French!

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly! Click HERE to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get your free holiday cards.

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly.

oops, i did it again.

I was messing with the template designer yesterday, looking at the widgets, trying to figure out how to upgrade my template, when I made a boo-boo.

I reraced my html code...like gone, bye-bye!

Oops, no getting that back. So, if you stopped by yesterday afternoon, you probably noticed that my blog looked like schiz-nit. Honestly, I had been meaning to give the ol' blog a lifestyle lift anyhow. So, I started with a new header and am now trying it on for size. Not sure if it will stay like it is...I think it needs more 'tweaking'. But, I like the new direction it is heading - even better than the old direction. What do you think?

In other news, I won a giveaway at Heir to Blair the other day. I was so excited. I never win anything and I can now say I have won 2 giveaways this year! The other one being a CSN gift certificate from ...And Baby Makes 3!

It's made my day, week, month, year! Thank you!

happy birthday leighton.

I can hardly believe it has been two years since you have come into my life, sweet Leighton. And now, I can barely remember a day when you weren't here. In a blink, it seems like you went from baby to a bounding, imaginative toddler singing her ABCs or Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. I always knew you'd be smart and ahead of the pack, after walking at just 9 months. You are always singing and dancing to the beat of your own drum and never looking back to see who follows. Nowadays you are wanting to do everything yourself, even walking down the stairs (which freaks your momma right out). You say 'No, Momma, I do myself' but, I stay a step ahead, just-in-case.

You are such a intelligent little girl. You can speak in full sentences and sometimes you throw some Spanish in there for good measure. I laughed so hard the other day when you were yelling from the bedroom in Spanish to help you. You make my day when I come home from work, or from a trip and say, 'Momma come here a second...I wanna give you a big hug. I missed you' or when you answer my 'I love you' with 'I love you, too'. I love that when you go to sleep you wrap your arm around my neck and want to touch heads. I lay by you until you go to sleep. I am glad you feel safe and loved, because you are. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to make you happy. You are so awesome and so perfect.

I thank God everyday that you are mine.

Happy Birthday little one.

XOXO and love forever.

Momma

Lei Lei, 2 years old.

3 weeks and counting...

T is for two, toddler and time - all of which has come way too fast in my opinion. Sometimes when people ask about Leighton...how old is she again?. I always stand there looking puzzled (like the turd that I am - counting the months in my head), because I just cannot comprehend at that moment, the time that has passed.

I constantly hear: When are you going to get rid of that sucky, Jackie? When are you going to start potty-training? When is Leighton getting a real bed? Sa-sa-say what?

Crazy talk I say to myself! She is just a baby. Well, not so much these days. I guess eventually, I will have to try really hard to get her on the potty (instead of giving in after asking her multiple times). And I suppose there is no time like the present to start saving some money for a big girl bed.

super babies 2 - mommy/daddy 0

A conversation today with Leighton went like this:

Daddy (with dramatics and everything): "Leighton, who do like playing with more? Daddy or the Super Babies?"

Leighton: "Super Babies!"

Daddy: "Ok...who do you like playing with more? Super Babies or Mommy?"

Leighton: "Super Babies!"

It's hard to compete with those Super Babies these days!
(For those of you who are are lost :) - - Super Babies are aka: Dora's baby twin brother & sister)

our project.

That little project we called 'finishing the basement' is nearly complete.  Not bad for a couple 'do-it-yourselfers' (mostly the husband) who were solely educated by watching HGTV programs.

All that is left is the fun stuff...decorating and drinking lots hot cocoa by the fire :)

The bar area

1/2 bath

Game area: complete with foosball, pool & a cocktail table style 

Ms. Pac Man game (not shown - but is in lower left area)

Fireplace - note: black void up top on fireplace is for that 

flat screen that doesn't exist. Heard there will be major reductions

on LCD/Plasma screens for the Christmas season (good news!). 

show business.

Maybe you have wondered what it is that I do for a living? Well as much as I would like to have 'making notecards' my career...it just doesn't pay the bills. Sheesh! Most of the time it barely pays for my expenses! This momma has real bills and needs a real job to pay for them.

Just fresh from a trip to Moscow to set-up a booth, I have now jet-setted over the pond once again to Frankfurt, Germany to supervise a set-up for an even bigger booth. The travel sounds glamorous, but I feel just medium about it. I used to love it (considering my husband hates flying), so I was able to visit places I knew he'd never go to. Now that I am a Momma, I usually just miss my daughter a lot, so I end up counting the days until I leave.

The job is tough (and stressful). I get my fill of urgent phone calls and last minute changes. The good thing? My days are ever the same. I feel blessed to make a decent living along with having these travel perks. Its show business and the show must always go on!

P.S. I am setting a hot chocolate drinking record here! I think I have had more cups of hot chocolate here during this week, than I had in a whole decade :)

the deed - not the dirty one.

Remember this post.

Well...I finally did the deed (zomg!).

2nd picture down is the new me.
A new BETTER me *gasp*.

I thought I'd feel extreme regret when I saw the amount of hair on the floor, but I didn't.

Not even an ounce.

In fact, I felt a burden of 10 years suddenly lifted and I thought about that extra hour each day that I could devote to something better than blow drying my locks.

It was exactly the present I needed to give myself.

ring around the...barf!

I thought it was cute when I first taught Leighton 'Ring around the Rosy'. You know... when she could just barely walk and we'd practically do it in slow motion, maybe 1 or 2 times. Now that she practically runs everywhere she goes and can sing the song herself, 'Ring around the Rosy' has become one of her favorite activities. Rosy at a faster pace makes me want to barf. I can stand to do it 1 time and then when 'we all fall down', I tend to lay down to keep down the cookies.

And then there is sweet Leighton standing over me saying Again, Momma! Ugh.

If I ever decide to have Baby #2, he/she will never know 'Ring around the Rosy'.

pig tails!

It's official, I can now put Lei-Kei's hair in 'for reals' baby pig tails!
Seriously, I thought those golden locks would never grow.
But, I am happy to announce her hair did grow, although it's very baby fine and whispy.

And not only can she rock out the piggies, but she can also be a dead ringer for Justin Bieber if she lets Momma comb her hair.

I've only done it twice...OK maybe more than twice :)

My cutie-patootie!

revealed.

Today, I decided to reveal to you a little fact about me...

What kind of music do I listen to when I am at my Mac designing away into the wee hours of the night?

Well, my absolute favorite song right now is Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready) by Alicia Keys. Have you heard it? Seriously, I think I have listened to it no less than 10+ times today.

Are you an R&B fan? I like a lot of music and my iTunes playlist is all over the place, but my very favorite music is R&B and Jazz. Secretly, I have some soul. Back-in-the-day, I was a dancing fool at a club or two around town and in Canada (along with a couple of my bffs).

When I am working at home, I am usually listening to playlist that includes Brian McKnight, Toni Braxton, Sade, Alicia Keys, Babyface, Robin Thicke and more. When I was in high school, my favorites included: Jodeci, Boyz to Men, Ready for the World, Johnny Gill... shocking to many I am sure. I think that I gravitate to this type of music because I am such a lovey/passionate type personality, at least that is what my theory is.

I always thought it would be funny to have a dinner party and throw on my R&B playlist for background music and see if anyone even noticed? It would probably do either of the following:

A. Mellow out the party or 
B. Make everyone want to make-out with their significant other.

I might try it sometime :)

did i tell you?

Probably not...and this won't be that big of a deal for some of you, but a Bare Escentuals outlet is opening at Birch Run very soon! I know (gasp!) Bare Minerals at a discount? It's awesome. The make-up is awesome. I used to see their infomercials on late night TV or on QVC/HSN. I was skeptical too...but, I had the chance to visit a real Bare Escentuals store (before they had one in mitten state) in Denver and bought like $75.00 in make-up. May not seem like much, but for me yes. Normally, this girl only splurges on foundation and a lipgloss (my favs Dior & Benefit) and occasionally a mascara 'Hello, Dior Show!'.

Can't wait for it to open, as I love me some BE and Faux Tan is one of the only self tanners that doesn't totally disgust me :P

in my closet.

Tonight while getting Leighton ready for her bath, I may have prematurely removed her diaper before the tub was totally filled with water. She likes to run free without clothes around the house, so as soon as the diaper was off she made a quick dash out of the bathroom. I finished filling the tub and then went looking for her.

Mind you this was only less than 1 minute after she took off running.

I found her - in my closet - taking a pee break on my carpet.

Luckily, it wasn't a major squirt, but it was yucky pee puddle all the same.

Thank goodness for Lysol wipes and paper towel :)

Keep an eye on your naked monkeys, just sayin'.

lesson learned.

Today, I learned that some people just have personal issues and there is nothing you can do to make them happy. Miserable with themselves or maybe their life and completely irrational in their behavior. You can't make them happy so it's best to part ways as soon as possible. I have had the pleasure of dealing with super nice people on Etsy, until today...ewwww.

I imagine she is that person who calls to complain about everything. She was a real turd and I feel bad for the folks who have to deal with her on a daily basis. 

In other GOOD news...my labels were featured in an etsy treasury, which is awesome:

See lil' ol' me in the bottom right corner?

Have a great weekend. It's supposed to be a nice one :)

twine!

If you have ever purchased anything from me...you'd know I have a love for bakers twine. It's part of my Bleu  Soleil packaging and part of my wrapping for my own personal gift giving.

Just imagine how content I was in a world only known to me as:
black, brown & red?

I was minding my own business, dum-dee-dum...then pow!

I am seeing pink, aqua, purple, orange, yellow & green.
My virgin eyes could not take the colors of this new rainbow.
It was just. too. much!

Then I recovered and thought about it and became obsessed.
Stalking THIS blog.

Are they for sale yet? Nope.

Are they for sale yet? Nope!

Are they for sale YET? NOPE!

When they are...I will have the buying power to buy any color that I wish.
I will be able to expand my color palette beyond brown/white.
Although I love my brown & white dearly...
I do love the pink...and the green...and the orange...and...

almost forgot!

Luckily I walked by a Hallmark today...cause I almost forgot about Father's Day this weekend...oops! I sware, my days are changing into nights at a very rapid pace these days. We are already near the end of June. Only 2 months of sa-sa-summer left and we haven't even planted our flowers yet. Luckily we have perennials, so our landscaping doesn't look too depressing.

I am not sure what Lei Lei and I will be buying for her Daddy this year. I just have no clue and he hasn't hinted around for anything at all. Normally I would have some idea. In a pinch, I could always go for a Visa giftcard. Did I tell you that my parents are professional shoppers? Yes, and if you ever had a chance to tagalong with them at the mall (Somerset) you would think the amount of people who recognize them is flat out ridiculous! Seriously!

I don't even know what to buy my own Dad either. The man has everything! Check out this old picture of me and my Dad when I was just over 1 years old. See that wallpaper?? Yes, that was on the kitchen walls at my house and was put up on purpose by my parents. It's awful, isn't it? You can say yes...I won't be offended :)

mean face.

Feelings - it's what we have been working on for the past few weeks. As Leighton approaches her 2nd birthday, it is becoming more apparent that we might be subject to some terrible twos behavior very soon here. I have been trying to get Leighton to tell me (or try to make her understand) when she is mad, but I haven't been too successful yet. One thing she has mastered is the 'mean face'. See Exhibit A below:

Cute but mean?

I hadn't seen this new face until after I got back from my work trip on Wednesday. I cracked up laughing when she did it of course, which then prompted her to keep doing it. She is such a ham!

P.S. HI new friends! Thanks for following!

hello from disney!

On a 2-day trip for work in very sunny central Florida - a.k.a. Walt Disney World! My absolute favorite place of all time. Work doesn't even seem like work when I am here. I haven't even gone to any of the parks are anything yet, I still feel happy - because how can you not be happy when you are here - seriously? :)

Just wanted to say Hi to all my new peeps that have come over by the way of Celeste's blog Etsy It Up! I adore Celeste's blog, so anyone who follows her blog is a friend of mine. Thanks so much for finding mine worthy enough for a read! Which brings me to my next point...

There is a giveaway over on Etsy It Up for address labels from me, so make sure you enter to win! Thank you Celeste for having me and for your wonderful comments. I really appreciate it! XOXO.

Tomorrow: thoughts on my trip.

i've been thinking...

about a hair change that is. I've been thinking about it for like 5 years now and now may be a good time to revamp myself. The problem is is that I have problem hair. Let me elaborate (although these may not seem like problems, I assure you sometimes they are):

- Thick hair
- Very slow drying hair
- Multiple steps hair
- Semi-curly/wavy/could turn frizzy with just the right amount of humidity hair
- Cannot wear short bangs (poofy wouldn't even be suitable adjective for this)

Thus the reason I usually keep my hair on the longer side. But, it's really been long for a long time. I want a low maintenance hairstyle that doesn't scream 'MOM hair'. It's kinda like the feelings I have for mini vans. Mini vans are so practical for families and honestly, they just make perfect sense. However, I flat out refuse to consider buying one, driving one, anything. It's a total MOM vehicle - yes, I know hello -  I AM a mom! I know I am weird. Some day I will probably give in to a mini van and I'll probably give in to a MOM haircut too.

But, today I am thinking something like Julie Bowen - 'Claire' from ABC's Modern Family. I don't know if my hair would lay this nice though and I am thinking it's not that much different from my hair style now:

I like this hair cut, but I highly doubt I could pull it off:

Or maybe I can go French chic? I love this one, but it's really short!

Knowing me, I'll probably get talked out of everything but a trim :)

meet ollie!

You might have seen him before...as he has made an appearance on some of my notecards. Now he is gracing these oval, scalloped labels that I just created. Isn't he cute?

wrap around labels!

I added some wrap around labels to my etsy shop today!

I make a lot of these for invitations that I make, but I have never offered them to purchase separately. I just love how these look on the envelopes. The colors are so juicy, fruity and summer-like.

Reminds me of Fruit Stripe Gum!

Would be great for a summer party invite ♥

another giveaway!

My home girl Kristi over at ABM3 is having a great giveaway...and it would be a crying shame if you missed it!

Get your fanny over to her blog and enter to win a $40.00 gift certificate to csn stores.com!

I already have 3 entries...I really want to win!

babies!

I might have squealed with far too much delight when I saw the trailer for the movie Babies today. And, I could have been at work at the time, during a eerily quiet pause during the day. Who knows what people were thinking? Maybe I should have called them over to watch it too.

Seriously, I LOVE babies ♥

I want to squeeze and hug them all. They are so freakin' cute I could j-u-s-t die. There I said it, I am 'gaga' over babies. Even though I have one of my own, I have been known to hug and smooch other babies I know like Alex Joseph, or my BF Amy's 2 babies (well, they aren't quite babies anymore...but she IS having a third, so I'll be able to smooch on him/her soon).

I'll probably have to wait until it is available via 'ON Demand' because I don't think I could convince my husband to go. But that is OK, because actually, I'd rather squeal in the privacy of my own home :)

it's been a crazy couple of weeks!

Whoa! It's been hectic over here at the D household these past few weeks. My brother got married and that was a big shindig. See the picture of my precious little flower girl and my handsome brother. Sorry, I know I am throwing them in your face, but aren't they cute? She did awesome by-the-way!!

 She actually sat still for this picture for a millisecond.

 

What pretty eyes you have my dearie!

My brother and my new sister-in-law are in Hawaii right now. SO wish I was there! Hmmmm...maybe someday...when I can put my husband in a straight jacket and give him a really powerful sedative :)

Want to know something else that is supa' cool? I broke 100 sales on etsy. Yeah, that means I had 100+  orders from a majority of people who are strangers to me but, kinda like my stuff. I think it's awesome. Especially for someone like me who is kinda shy and doesn't do a good job at self promotion! I have had orders from all over the US even Italy, Australia, Canada and Isreal! Thank you to all of my new etsy friends - I really appreciate your business ♥

*Hugs*

guess who is 1.5 today?

A very, very happy half birthday shout out to my Lei Lei!

I can't believe you are now 1.5 * 18 months today!

At 18 months, you can count to 10 (when you want), identify practically all of your body parts, mimic animal sounds and identify them in books, say please and thank you, kiss with your mouth closed (makes for less slobbery kisses), ask for hugs (which is my favorite) and remember people like Ga-Ga, Papa, Matt, Lissa, Nana, NuNu, DeeDee, Juan, Indra...even Randy (our next door neighbor) and a guy named Dave who did some drywall at our house months ago.

A Tolee for each hand!

You are passionate about Dora, Kai-Lan,Yo Gabba Gabba and dancing! You can stack blocks in towers bigger than yourself and knock them down when they do not live up to your standards (maybe that is a little of Mommy's OCD that you inherited? Sorry about that). You can run really fast with no fear. You wave at the birdies and at the kids getting off of the bus on our street. You say 'HI' to everyone you meet (takes Mommy twice as long to do any kind of shopping because of the attention you attract in the store - we talk to everyone!). You LOVE going outside and chasing and blowing bubbles. You can catch when Daddy throws you a ball and you surprisingly have a good throw, for such a little girl. I know Daddy wants to buy you a tee and baseball bat already.

I'll admit, at the same time that I love seeing you discover new things and surpass your milestones, My heart feels just a little bit sad about the pace. Oh, will you please stop growing precious, little Leighton? I am asking in my sweetest Mommy voice...

big week coming up!

Serious week coming up here for us Dees!
Here is my list of things to be accomplished before week's end:

Work - Note: I am still playing the Mega Millions, so that some day this 'work' thing will go away (ha, ha).

Getting a tan - I mean, finding a way to get some color that doesn't involve baking my insides or spraying my body with chemicals that'll make me stink to high heaven and probably cause cancer.

Getting a mani/pedi - I have this scheduled for Thursday, as I took the day off from work. I would do my own pedicure (because honestly, I am pretty good at it), but there is just NO time.

Get my hair cut - I should have kept the appointment I had last week, but something came up and therefore I need to move it to this week. You'd think I was the one getting married with all of this primpin'!

Buy some silver shoes - Sexy, dancin' shoes that will match the pretty, platinum color of my matron of honor dress. My little brother is getting married on Saturday and thus the chaos of my life :)

Write my Matron of Honor speech - A fine blend of witty and sweet, make all the guests think 'Wow, she is funny, smart and pretty!' (like they don't think that already - wink, wink!).

Print the programs for the ceremony - I am leaving this to the professionals...I created them but, I have decided to get them professionally printed (which I do on some projects anyway) - best money spent, yet.

Finish my Mother's Day projects - Yes, I decided to make some gifts this year to go along with some of the other gifts I bought. I always seem to do this to myself. I usually make the greeting card(s) too, but because of my list here, I had to pick mine out at Hallmark today on my lunch hour. It should also be noted that I don't 'buy' cards a whole lot and so for a minute there, when I flipped the cards over I was like 'Whoa Daddy!' on the prices. $4.00+ for a card is HIGHWAY freakin' robbery.

BTW - my friend(s) who live near the Little Green Apple Hallmark on Rochester Road, on May 20th they are having a 20% off everything you can stuff in a bag sale, so you can buy cards, wrapping paper, gifts (Vera Bradley, Yankee Candle, etc...) at a discount.

Finish my orders on etsy - because there are other Mothers out there who need their presents too!

I'll certainly be looking forward to Sunday - Mother's Day, when I can rest & relax :)

**By the way...please check out the awesome giveaway over at Harper's Happenings. There are tons of great prizes - - - one of which may or may not be a set of my address labels ♥

ready. set. go!

That is what Lei Lei said to me, in the sweetest voice ever today, right after she said 'hhhiiiiiiiii momma, missed you' when I walked in the door. Then she took off running for her 'Foofa'. Could she be any cuter?

She kills me (in a good way)!

new items.

I have been adding new labels to my etsy site. Like these...

And these...

And my personal new favorite...

Make sure to check them out :)
They would make a great Mother's Day gift for someone special ♥

multi-talented.

You had to have been there, when this moment happened...it was supa' funny. Leighton has been cracking me up daily. A couple days ago at Tarjay, a gentleman held-open the door for us and I said Thank you, Leighton proceeded to answer that with a You're Welcome. My lil' monkey does not miss a beat.

Yesterday, while we were playing, she leaned over, back to me and then turned around to face me with 2 suckies in her mouth. Could. Not. Stop. Laughing. Seriously, it was the cutest thing ever. Had to take her picture to capture the moment. Once she heard her Daddy & I laughing, she really started to show off and then chase me, arms out and fingers a wigglin' ready to tickle me.

I ♥ being her Mom.

my contribution to earth week...

Just recently I turned in some reward points towards a free subscription to a magazine called Body & Soul (a Martha Stewart Publication). I just got my first issue last week and I really like it. It has some good articles and recipes in it. I feel like it's helping to nudge me closer to becoming more aware of things I eat and use. It is a daunting and expensive task to truely GO GREEN. Believe me, I have perused the aisles of Whole Foods wanting to full-on grocery shop, but my pocketbook just not allow me to pay some of the inflated costs associated with organic food. So, I tend to stay focused on getting things for just Leighton as I feel it is most important for her little body to consume the least amount of chemicals possible.

In other efforts to GO GREEN, we use reusable grocery bags, we drink water from Kleen Kanteens and just recently I bought these:

Aren't they the cutest? They are reuseable, lavender dryer sachets, which I found on etsy. You can use these for 4-6 months. How cool is that? Another plus: saves me lots money on dryer sheets!

Little by little, we are trying to do the right thing. It's great that more mainstream grocery stores (such as Meijer & Walmart) are getting a better variety of Organic foods and sometimes I even find coupons for them. In my opinion, we should not have to go broke to make ourselves healthier ♥

Happy Earth Week!

go away, cold!

On Monday night, I got about 2 minutes of sleep. Around 12:30a, Leighton was crying and calling for me, so I went and got her from her bed to rock her...only the rocking never stopped. Normally, we snuggle and I rock her gently back to sleep, but it was one of those nights that she just wasn't going back to HER bed. In fact she didn't want to lay anywhere except for on Mommy. Isn't it funny how your child can be dead asleep and as soon as she seperates from you even just a little bit they sense it and wake right back up?

Yeah, that happened all 3 times I attempted to lay her back in bed. I gave up at 5:00a and just figured the night was pretty much over and held her until it was time for me to get up for work. Secretly, I love snuggling with her. I try and suck that up as much as possible, as I know (as all Moms do) that it will eventually come to an end some day.

Last night I caught up on my sleep a little...but I still have this cold/allergy thing going on, so I kind feel like this today - a little tired and a little crabby cause my head still hurts and nose is still running:

Isn't this picture pitiful & cute at the same time?

On another note...Leighton is now spelling her name out. Pretty impressive since it is 8 letters long :) She won't do it every time I ask (which is a lot, I can't help it...it's so cute), but if I ask her randomly during the day, most-of-the-time she'll say it.

giveaway over at abm3!

Hurry to enter to win yourself a birthday present over at ABM3 in honor of Mr. Cutie Patootie's birthday: Alex, who just turned 1!

Kristi is giving away TWO gift cards valued at $10.00 each:
one for Starbucks and one for Target.

Make sure you enter yourself to win before April 21st! Good Luck ♥

sicky.

Leighton has been running a slight fever for 2 days now. Yesterday, she didn't really play at all...she mostly layed around - so not typical of my little, sweet girl. Today she seemed to have a little more pep, but I could tell she was still feeling under the weather. She was able to have a little bit of fun in the bathtub though - one of her favorite things is to do some 'swimmin' as she would say :).

I am planning on doing some relaxing this weekend. The second set of wedding invites that I have been working on are completed and outta here. I have a couple more smaller projects and the on-goings of the etsy shop and that is about it. Snuggling with Leighton for a nap tomorrow is number one on my list for tomorrow and I have been waiting all week to do that.

Have a nice weekend ♥

moosejaw is having a sale!

I am addicted to Moosejaw t-shirts ♥

Normally $19.95 each, I just bought a few for $4.99, $4.99 and $9.99 respectfully. Yes...I know, a deal at $19.97 for all 3! Not only do I love the Moosejaw store (as I used to work there back-in-the-day), but I am a huge supporter of this Michigan-based company. It's such a fun place to shop (and work). Where else do they answer the phone 'MOOSEjaw' in a crazy voice? No where :)

happy easter from leighton!

Happy Easter to all! God's blessings to you and your families today.

Leighton had the best time trying to find her eggs during our Easter egg hunt this morning. She was so excited and she didn't want to put any of them down. At one point she had 5 eggs in her hand. She found all of them in record time - even ones that Tim and I thought she would never find. She is a smart cookie :)

random thoughts...

1.  I really like the new show called Parenthood, in fact I am watching it right now...Tuesday nights, 10 p.m. on  NBC. Check it out. There are a lot of good people in it, I am sure you will recognize many of the faces :)

2.  These are some new labels that are now in my shop...I have been loving these pennant banners. I had a burlap one made that said Joyeux Noel for Christmas. This etsy shop that makes the best ones!

3.  I am now realizing that shopping for things to put in your 1-year old's easter basket is really, really hard.

4.  I am overtired...time to hit the sack. G'night.

Another one outta here...

Feels like a final exam day here.
110 invites completed and out the door. Another set in the wings almost there...

What's up next?

Completing some etsy.com orders, a set of shower invites, a wedding program, 1st birthday invites, favor tags and some save the date cards ♥

sorry.

I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I am sorry. Life is hectic right now. I blame my real job. Just recently I took over a whole bunch of work. What used to be work of three people is now work of one - ME! Yes, I am thankful I have a J-O-B :) But, seriously how many times do I have to be thankful for this job of which I received a pay-cut from last year & added a lot of responsibilities to this year?

Plus it's wedding season and I have had a few orders for wedding invites too. I have to admit - weddings are fun and I personally LOVED getting married. Each time I get to design and print new invites, I get to vicariously live out my wedding again... in a different place, with different colors and fun invitations. And just how do I do this? Well, I make a sample of each invite to keep and I insert my name/info for that one. I have gotten married many places!

In other news, and this is pretty funny...

I gave Leighton a bath today and she pooped in the tub! It was gross and funny at the same time. I am shocked that it hasn't happened before today, honestly. Nothing like having your nicely scrubbed infant dropping kids off in her pool. Needless to say, tonight turned into a two bath night.

Leighton has also learned to count. She can count up to three on her own. And up to ten if I say every other number. For example - Mommy says one, Lei-Lei says two, Mommy says three, Lei-lei says four...we do this all the way up to ten. She likes to count best when crawling up the stairs. It's is quite impressive (ha, ha) ♥

just around the corner.

Spring...it's almost here. Today I actually had to take my jacket off when I was driving in the car. It was awesome. I feel like I always have a little extra pep in my step when it's sunshiny outside. Recently I bought some of this body spray and body lotion from Victoria Secret called Island Waters...and it reminds me of summer with the essences of coconut and pineapple. It's yummy and my new favorite scent! The packaging reminds me of a beach dress ♥

Come on Spring!

ta-da! and the winners are...

The random number generator has spoken...and the winners are: 1 and 6!

Holly & Kelli. 

 

Please pick out the labels you love and let me know how you want them personalized. Send it to me via e-mail: donahue_jackie{at}yahoo{dot}com.

There were good odds with this contest since there were only 13 entries. So I hope you all will enter my next one. It's so fun to give stuff away. Almost better than winning it yourself...well, of course winning the Mega Millions would be something nice to win, I have to say.

Thank you for all of the nice comments about my labels. Its awesome to have new friends. Thank you for reading my blog! XOXO.

More contests to come soon ♥

glitter makes it better.

Remember that glitter set I bought with my 50% off coupon earlier this week? Well...I figured out what I can do with it...

Aren't they pretty? I loved how they turned out. I am going to add the circle ones to my etsy site. The curvy ones shown were just for fun. I love the shape of them, but they are each hand cut and honestly, I'd cry if I had to cut 50 of them out. But, I know beauty comes with a price and these would come with some seriously cramped up hands :)

Check my etsy site soon for the new g*l*i*t*t*e*r labels!

bird labels.

Just added to my etsy shop :)

label giveaway!!

I promised another giveaway and this time I will be giving away 2 sets of 50 of my address labels. 2 Winners! I want to make it super duper simple to enter - just follow my blog and leave me a comment with your e-mail address. That's all. If you win, I will contact you and then you can let me know which labels you like and how you want them personalized.

Winners to be chosen on Monday, March 8th. You have until 5:00 pm on the 8th to comment, so don't forget ♥

label freak.

I told you I would be uploading new labels every day to my etsy site...and so not to disappoint, here is one for Monday ♥

another label.

It was a crazy weekend. I made a lot of labels, printed shower invitations and packed up a lot of sweet packages. I hope they brighten the day of the persons who will be opening them. I take great care in packing my items - they have to be pretty. I love to get nicely wrapped packages and gifts in the mail, don't you?

After working so hard over the weekend, I decided to reward myself with a little present from Michaels. I had a 50% off coupon that was burning a hole in my pocket...so I bought this:

Aren't they pretty and sparkly? I love them. Normally I would not buy something like this - as they are $30.00 (at full price). Expensive for glitter, no? But...I justified my purchase with the coupon and now I have every single color of the rainbow and then some. Cannot wait to use them!

more labels.

I have been selling a serious amount of labels on etsy lately. Probably because honestly, it is a very inexpensive way to dress up your envelopes. To keep yall' comin' back, I have been trying to add some new designs. I will try to upload a few new ones each day, so check my etsy site to see the latest and check back here next week for a label giveaway!

Have a great weekend ♥

color help.

I have found that I often gravitate to the same old colors all of the time - I use them in my house, I use them in my wardrobe and I use them in my designs. I am trying to diversify and I often refer to this really awesome website that a friend from work introduced to me to from Adobe called kuler. It's a website that helps you search existing or create your own color themes. I find it extremely helpful...maybe you will too?

totally lovin' it tuesdays!

I read about this little quirky place called moomah in one of my parenting magazines. It sounds like a place that I would love to take Leighton and connect. There are not enough hours in the day for her. I miss her so much when I am at work. I want her to know that no matter what...I am always thinking of her and wishing we were together.

Gosh, I wish there was a moomah in Michigan!

 How cute is this place?

A blurb from their website:

Connect
It’s time, finally, to pause, slow down and lower the volume. And remember that in a quiet moment, a child can discover a world of delight. It’s in your smile, a word of praise, a quirky little rhyme, a silly song, their own personal fairy tale. At Moomah our serene space, the music we play, our games and classes, the food we prepare, indeed everything we do is designed to bring you and your child closer together. To encourage conversation, reflection, sharing and careful attention. And to understand that years from now, you will cherish this intimate moment.

another project.

When we bought our house, it came without a backsplash. It has been one of those items on our to-do list for a while now... We had priced out glass tiles a while back (2 or so years ago) and at $20 per sheet, it just wasn't something we were willing out shell money out for.

So we waited, and when Tim was at Home Depot yesterday, he called to tell me that they were selling glass subway tiles there for $4.99 a sheet. So we finally purchased the materials for our backsplash, at 25% of the original cost. We even bought tiles for the basement bar area, which was never part of the plan. We couldn't resist. At $200.00 for both areas, it was such an awesome deal.

Aren't they pretty?

laid-back weekend.

I did absolutely nothing this weekend. I was a little under the weather, so it it was nice to just relax and stay in my comfy clothes. My husband even did the grocery shopping! Leighton and I just played and watched her favorite shows: Dora & Yo Gabba Gabba.

This is a picture I took of her on the couch. She isn't supposed to be playing on the couch, so that is why when I called her name, she just sticks her head up just enough to see who is calling her. I thought it was too cute :)