Giveaway Reminder

Just a quick reminder that I'm giving away 30 (4x6 size) photo Christmas cards (design shown) with envelopes. All you have to do, is leave a comment on the original blog post for your chance to win. I'll draw a random winner on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 25th (6:00 p.m CST) and post the results that evening.

Also, run on over to Goodwill Gal and check out my latest blog posting entitled "Ew...Shoes?" Be sure to add my new blog to your subscription!

Bathroom Complete!

I finally finished the girls' bathroom last week. I've had most of these decor' items for OVER A YEAR but never found the time to (or really... never made the time) to finish this room.

The flowers are from Hobby Lobby's garden section. I got them on clearance at the end of the season. The shower curtain and the white shelf is from Goodwill. (I still need to iron the shower curtain... sigh...)

The paint is leftover paint from Elisan's room color mixed with a darker blue. I think it turned out nice and it kept me from having to have wasted paint or another gallon to buy.

Goodwill Gal

I woke up Saturday morning with a vision... I need a blog where I can showcase my Goodwill finds in a "safe and loving" environment. Because the truth of the matter is this... not everyone can wrap their head around shopping at Goodwill (or other retail thrift stores) for anything.

But, really... Goodwill is simply a re-selling, re-homing, re-purposing store of items that people no longer have a need for. And, Goodwill "puts people to work" and who doesn't like that?

So stay tuned for Goodwill Gal to get off the ground the in the next week or so. I'm excited!

Deals, steals and unreals

This week I ordered the Estee Lauder Holiday Gift Set! It is my all-time favorite gift set and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

I wish I could say I purchase it every year, but sadly, I do not. What usually happens is that I can't justify the purchase, I forget or actually don't need the new makeup. This year, I did not forget and I do need new makeup, so it was a perfect (expensive)"treat" for me. (Hey, my birthday is coming up... that's my justification!)

In addition to the holiday gift set, EL was offering a free gift when you spend over $50.00. The free gift was 4 eyeshadows, makeup brushes, a lip gloss and small bottle of "Beautiful" perfume.

And if that wasn't enough..., I was able to select 2 free sample size gifts at check out, so I selected a eyeshadow and sample of "Sensuous" perfume. Shipping was free and I got it within 3 days! You can't beat that!

On Thursday, I joined Elisan's class for their field trip to Central Market, a division of HEB. I was awesome! I mean, y'all know I love food, so going to a grocery store on a field trip - much less a fancy one - was right up my alley! I could have spent gobs and gobs of money, but I administered restraint while I was there. Now, that's not to say I won't be making another trip again - this time by myself or with another foodie friend! (Any takers?)

One of the most intriguing items of interest was the Black Truffle. Notice the price. $199.00 per pound. Yep, that was no misprint. The lady leading the tour said that this small container of black truffles was over $6.00. Yep, I see three in there.

I'm intrigued by the truffle and wonder what makes it so pricey. Anyone ever had a dish made with truffles? I'd love to know!

Friday, Kyla had her Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast. The kids were so adorable in their pilgrim and Indian costumes. It was such a sweet time. Here she is with some friends!

Finally, I am in the process of making my Christmas list. Last year, I discussed Christmas budgets. So, this year, I wanted to get some feedback regarding gift cards.

I recently read an article that stated that a quarter of gift cards received as gifts go unused. That was UNUSED MONEY! I am (and have always been) stunned by this fact. Who does not used gift cards, I always wonder?

I personally LOVE giving (and receiving) gift cards. I love giving them because it allows me to stick to my budget. If I budget $25.00 for my nephews, I spend $25.00 on a gift card. No more over spending. In addition, I love getting gift cards because I love to shop - in the store and online.

I have only ever received one gift card that I didn't spend right away and that was to iTunes. It was because I wanted to carefully select the songs I downloaded. Even now, I still have about $2.00 left on that card.

So, in light of the holiday gift giving season, participate in the poll in the right hand column. I'm interested in your answers!

Christmas Photo Card Giveaway!

My mama always told me it's better to give than to receive. And, I'm pretty sure y'all's mama said the same thing! I'd like to give away some of my time and talent to one lucky individual!

I'm giving away 30 (4x6 size) photo Christmas cards (design shown) with envelopes. All you have to do, is leave a comment on this entry for your chance to win. I'll draw a random winner on the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 25th (6:00 p.m CST) and post the results that evening.

Now, for the fun part... your comment!

When you enter to win, please post 5 things you are thankful for and be sure to tell your friends!

Today, I'm celebrating...

My friend Angie posted a 4K days of marriage last year! When I saw her post, I calculated my own 4K date using this tool. How many days have you been married - answer in the comment section!

Fun photo session

Each year, I make the girls individual Christmas cards to hand out to their friends. I usually attach the card to a goodie bag filled with fun Christmas treats on the last day of school before the Christmas winter break.

Saturday, I took the girls out to the university in our small town and took some pictures for our Christmas cards this year. Some of the pictures were just phenominal and truly captured their individual personalities. I'd love to share every last one of the pictures I took over the weekend, but I'm sure you'd get bored with that pretty quickly. But, here's one of my favorites. I love the colors of their shirts!


This year, I fell in love with the penguin. When I was perusing the internet for ideas for the penguin, I noted that he was most often in the snow with a crisp pale blue background. But, after watching "March of the Penguins" a week or so ago, I realized that in the deep winter, penguins experience day long darkness. So... in light of this, their penguins are dancing in the dark!

Kyla's picture turned out darkened and if I had mad photo editing skills, I could fix it, but since I don't, it will just have to remain dark. Believe me I tried, so I'll accept any help in this area!

Don't forget, I'll be posting my Christmas Photo Card giveaway this week!