Giveaway Time- Shutterfly Holiday Cards

Jingle Bells. Jingle Bells. Jingle all the way.

Nate loves when I sing Christmas songs in April.  Or July.  Or October.  It just feels good to bust out in carol during breakfast every now and then.  He tells me that it’s getting closer to time for it to be socially acceptable to do so…but I still have a tiny ways to go.

How about I start pondering our Christmas cards instead?  I love sending and receiving cards.  I do love the interweb but there is something about a mailbox full of cards during the holidays that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

The fine folks over at Shutterfly are here to help!  Free cards for me and you.  Get excited!

The hardest part is picking out a favorite.  Their selection is impressive.  You can choose from Christmas cards and Holiday cards.  I know that I am going to go with a photo card…

I’ll share with you our final decision in December.  I have to keep it a secret until then.  (And I’m still deciding.  I keep finding a new favorite every time I look.) 

It will be hard to top last year’s…

But I think we can do it with Shutterfly’s help!

Would you like a chance to win?

• PRIZE: 25 free photo cards from Shutterfly (5x7 folded or flat)
• TO ENTER:  Leave a comment with your name, e-mail, and favorite thing about the holidays.  Is it the carols?  Which one is your favorite? Is it the food? Is it the gifts? The time with family? Sending out cards?
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Thursday, October 27th at 8 PM (central time)
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: Three
• OTHER STUFF: The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on Friday, October 28th!

Guest Post- Design Build Love

Today you can find me over at Design Build Love blabbing about my dining room hutch…

I’m holding the fort down while Ashley studies up for her law exams.  (Oh, I don’t miss those studying days.  I do, however, miss taking naps and watching Oprah.  Oh college, how I miss you.)  Ashley and her husband are fixing up their short-sale California home.  Her blog is full of clever DIY ideas and she’s so darn bubbly that you can’t help but stick around!

Stop by and say “hi” and check out the rest of Ashley’s blog while you’re over there!

Barn Light Electric Made My Year

Do you remember when I posted about Barn Light Electric's on-line giveaway?  (Check it out here.)

On Friday I received an e-mail from Barn Light Electric letting me know that I was the lucky $1000 winner.  Holy cow!!!  What? 

My first thought was “this can’t be real”.  I don’t win stuff.  Seriously.  I think they only things I have won in my 29 years of existence are a five dollar bill and a couple of 3X tee-shirts. But $1000 in beautiful lighting. Holy cow. 

I spent a good chunk of my week-end day dreaming about lighting and scouring Barn Light Electric’s website.  I’m not going to lie to you.  I do things like this on most week-ends but this one was different.  I will actually be bringing these beautiful lights into my home.  Holy cow!

I think I have my selections narrowed down to the following (They are pending husband approval.)…

For the master bedroom:  Good bye ugly ceiling fan.  Hello, Altus Hugger Ceiling Fan with light…

For the kitchen:  I am in love with these Bermuda Pendants in satin steel (not the finish shown below)…

It helped for me to see them in a room…

Now picture them here…

And for above the kitchen table, the Laramie Pendant in vanilla cream…

What do you think of the cage around the light (different pendant, same cage)?  I’m liking it but still deciding...

I still can’t believe this is real.  Starting a blog was definitely one of my better life decisions.

What do you think of my selections?  Any other suggestions?  Would anyone be interested in a giveaway for the current pendants in my kitchen?  I would love to pass on the lighting karma but I’m not sure if there is any interest.  Let me know! 

What’s the coolest thing you have ever won?

Adventures in Target

I’m not generally allowed to go in Target alone. 

I wander and things randomly end up in my cart.  I have no clue how it happens.  I usually try to drink a lot of water before I go and not let myself use their restroom.  This ensures that I am out within an hour.  I have an extremely small bladder.  Bet you didn’t know that.

Nate will actually run errands to avoid me ending up in Target alone.  Pretty impressive, I am.

Last night I went alone.  And…….I found these beautiful wooden pumpkins on sale for $4.98 each.  (Along with a ton of other awesome fall items but I practiced restraint.)  How could they not end in my cart??

I’m not sure if the mantel is their permanent fall home or not.  Time will tell.

Please note that I took these photos with our Nikon CoolPix.  It may be the worst point and shoot I have ever owned. 

And yes, Hocus Pocus is the best Halloween movie ever made.  Don’t let Nate tell you otherwise. 

What else ended up in my cart besides boring groceries, stuff for the dog, face lotion, etc… Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30.  Be on the look out of some massive muscles on this blog.  Or me whining about how every inch of my body is on fire.  Either one.

The end.  Happy week-end!  Keep me entertained at work by commenting with your favorite Target purchase.  Or your most compulsive purchase.  Your worst purchase.  I want to hear them all.

Who’s Hiring

There is a side of Ike that we haven’t mentioned much on the blog. 

He has A LOT of energy. And by A LOT, I mean A LOT.  His high energy is one of the things that we love the most about him.  It’s also one of the most challenging things about being a proud parent of a Wire Fox. 

Last night he was still crazy after an hour long walk, tricks, toy chasing, and bone chewing.  Nate and I on the other hand were exhausted. We decided that Ike needs a day job so he would be equally as exhausted. I mean, he is almost 5 which in people years puts him at an age where he needs to start pulling his weight.

He wants you all to know that he’s not just a pretty face.  He has many useful skills.

The following is a picture resume:

Excellent present opener…

 

Guard dog…

Pillow smusher..

Bed warmer…

Laundry sorter…

Bandana model…

Raccoon hunter…

 

Who’s hiring?  Does your pet have an equally impressive resume?

Easy Bathroom Art

I struggle with hanging stuff on walls.  I’m very indecisive.  I get sad putting holes in new dry wall.  I’m working on it.  Baby steps.

I think art in the bathroom is the hardest. What’s appropriate to hang on your bathroom walls? 

I struggled with this conundrum for awhile.  And then it hit me.

I want the man and woman symbols that you see on public restrooms.  You know, so Nate and I don’t get our sides confused…

I asked my mom if her fancy little Cricut machine had a man and woman.  And it totally did.  Score.  Cricut cut people placed in Target frames.  Easy and cheap bathroom art.

What’s hanging in your bathroom?

Linking up to: Serenity Now

Evolving Tastes

I recently mentioned that I use the term “evolving tastes” to explain to Nate why I need to constantly change things in our home.  It’s time to show you what I’m talking about.

Today I would like to introduce you to the living room in our first house…

Also known as the room with pieces that are too large and dark.

I was so darn proud of this room.  The shelves, the mantle, the giant black couch. I think the only thing we got right in this room is the wall color (I don’t remember the name.  Bummer.)  And yes, this is what the room looked like after we had lived here for two years.  Oh my.

I knew I wanted something a little more grown-up, cozy, and inviting for our second house…

See, evolving tastes.  I know I still have room to be “evolve” (hello matchy furniture) but it’s good to see some progress.

My “problem” (using the term VERY loosely) is that we plan to live in this house forever. I don’t want our house to become dated.   It’s easier to update your style when you move into a new space.   Moving a good excuse to start new…buy new furniture, try a new wall color, etc.

When you live in your forever home, when do you start new or do you just edit?  What are your thoughts?  Have you stuck with one style or has it changed over time?

Salvation Army Bargains

What do you do when your family is in town?

Besides ruin family photos for your mother?  You head to the Salvation Army.  Of course.

I had previously placed a self-imposed Salvation Army ban on myself.  I kept buying junk and not doing anything with it.  After a month, I lifted this ban.

Good thing.  Look what I found…

No, this is not junk.  This is beautifulness.

I have had my eye on this type of sled but they usually go for ~$50 in antique stores.  $8.50 at the Salvation Army Outlet.  Score.  I made my poor brother carry it around the entire store because I couldn’t risk losing it.  My family always hopes that I find large items at the end.  I don’t get it.  I’m not exactly sure what I am going to do with it yet but it will somehow make it into my Christmas decorating.  I’m pumped.

I also found these…

I like old books.  Old book can be expensive.  I don’t like to pay more than $0.75 for them.  I usually go for books that look pretty but I actually found some interesting titles on this stop.  The Complete Book of Furniture Repair and Refinishing could be useful.  And who couldn’t use a good brushing up on general hygiene?

Not the girl that hadn’t showered for 2 days.

Anyone else bond with their family at their favorite thrift store?  Anyone finding any good bargains out there?  Who wants to borrow my hygiene book?

THE Best Pumpkin Bars

October around our house is the only time of year we make two recipes.  Chicken Enchiladas and Pumpkin Bars.  The enchiladas are Nate’s favorite meal and he always picks Pumpkin Bars to take to work for his birthday.

I will not be sharing the Chicken Enchilada recipe with you because it looks like barf and I dry heave while making it.  I made Nate his own special birthday enchiladas last night while I ate toast…to settle my stomach.  True story.  He told me they were so good that I should open my own Mexican restaurant.  Those of you who know me are dying laughing.  (I am the world’s pickiest eater and Mexican doesn’t make my list.  And I don’t cook.)  I think he was serious about them tasting good. 

I will, however, share with you our pumpkin bar recipe.  I know there are lots of pumpkin bar recipes out there but these are truly the best.  You can trust me.  I’m a pharmacist.  People trust pharmacists.  (P.S. Our food photography needs improvement.)

Pumpkin Bars and Frosting

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 16 oz can pumpkin
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt

Beat together in large bowl: eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until well blended.  In another bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well mixed.  Add dry mixture to large bowl.  Mix well.  Pour into long ungreased cookie pan.  Bake at 350 degrees 23-30 minutes.

FROSTING (You know, the best part.  We usually double the following.):

• 1 3 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter.  Add vanilla and powdered sugar.  Put on cooled pumpkin bars. 

Always keep in the fridge.  Can be frozen.

What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe?  Anyone else sacrifice their own well-being to cook for their dear husband?

Happy Birthday Nate

Nate turns the big 3-0 today! 

(Those are balloons.  Not sperm.  I majored in Biology.  Cut me some slack.)

I made him a special birthday basket to take to work…

I’ve seen a lot of  “30 Sucks” with a container full of suckers.  From what I know, grown dudes aren’t super into suckers but they do like them some candy bars.  Done.  I prefer “bites” over “sucks” anyways.  It’s a classier term.

A dude with a jerky gun needs classy things on his birthday.

Although I do all of the blabbing on this blog, Nate plays a big role around here.  He’s the behind the scenes dude.  He helps me execute the crazy ideas that come into my head.  He puts the kibosh on the really crazy ones.  He takes the pretty pictures.  He has an amazing eye.  He’s responsible for a lot of the paint colors in our house.  He reads your comments.  He encourages me to keep being the best that I can be.  And he sneaks snuggles with Ike.

He’s a pretty special dude.

Happy Birthday Nate!  30 isn’t that old, right?