TGIF!!

Hey girls!! TGIF, right?? Since I have been getting a lot of blog awards lately from you wonderful gals; I've finally found a really cute one to share the love with!!

I give the ADORABLE BLOG award to:

Holly from Holly-Girls at Heart... because she is such a doll! Holly has given me so much inspiration for so many things in my life! I truly feel myself becoming a better person because of her:)

Katie from Katie's Nesting Spot... because she inspires me to be a better mom and makes me want to get off my butt and do fun crafty things with my kiddo's again! She also is a former kindergarten teacher who makes me want to kick butt in college right now to get my teaching degree!!

Pea from Pea's Corner... because she is an adorable and WILD woman that makes me giggle so much! She also is a wonderful friend to my mom which makes me so happy:)

Amy from Bunny Rose Cottage... because of her love for sweet bunnies and that she has 4 boys in her home! She still maintains her girly-girl-ness with all that testosterone around!!

Ashley from Domestic Divas Fancy... because she shares so many of the same interests as mine and is so talented! She is making wedding invitations now!

Carie from The Life of Carie... because she is a sweet young southern gal who loves cupcakes, coffee and shopping as much as I do!

Brenda from Country Romance... because she is a cuter version of Paula Deen! lol Brenda is so southern in her cooking and decorating; I love it! She posts recipes and photos of food that make your thighs bigger by just looking at them!

Next week I go back to work! My Data Collecting job is starting back up for the spring; and will also be ending this Spring as well. Why? It is grant work and the grant for the research study that I have been collecting date for, for the past 2 years is up in May. So I will be JOBLESS! I talked to Brian and expressed that I'd like to take 3 classes this summer and really focus on school... being home with the boys this summer too. I hope to be able to find a job in a school next year-maybe as an aide or something for extra $$! I really want a job in a school so I can have my summers off too!! Who doesn't want that right?

Hope you all have a great weekend! I am almost done with my Easter/Spring swaps so I hope to get them mailed off on Monday as well. Monday is also our ANNIVERSARY!! Awwwww ♥

Hugs,
Noelle ♥

Easter Hunt?

Hey chicks! Has anyone seen any FREE Easter blog layouts or banners out there?? Maybe I am rushing Easter a bit but I want to deck out my page!! Don't you love this sweet bunny clip art? You can get FREE clip art from Rachelle Anne Miller to use on your blog too.

I am thinking about having a BLOG EGG HUNT! You know, where I will hide "eggs" on previous posts!! Eeeeekkk:) I think it sounds fun! The first one who finds all the eggs and contacts me will get a prize! Don't jump out of your seats yet; I haven't done it yet!!!! LOL I will announce it next week!!!

Today I am off to try on MY CORRECT SIZE Wedding Gown ♥ The one in the store was a size 12 and um, well I am NOT a size 12 anymore! Not since pregnancy has ransacked my bod!! Then mom and I are gonna hit a couple craft stores, I think? I need to get some things to finish spoiling a couple of my sweetie pie swap partners!

I am also wracking my brain as to what to make for my 3 Pay It Forward winners!! You know that I am ALL ABOUT Spring/Easter stuff right now. I am actually starting to think about summer stuff too. You know why? BECAUSE ITS SNOWING HERE TODAY... WHY? WHY? WHY??? YUCKY SNOW!! Its great in December, but NOT March!

Alright, I am DONE rambling for today!! Have a great day girls:)

♥ Noelle ♥

Leapin' Leprechauns!!

Hey girls! Here is a fun Leprechaun Hat idea for the kids for St. Paddy's Day next week. The directions tell you how to make it as a "bowl" to hold chips but I'm sure you could change it up to make an actual hat. What do you think??

♥ Noelle ♥

Leprechaun Hat for Chips

A fun table decoration that can be used to hold chips. We found our green tortilla chips at our local grocery store. You can use regular tortilla chips and then tint your dip with green food color. Whatever you do, have fun!

What you'll need:

• 1/2 gallon Round ice cream container, clean and dry (you do not need the lid)
• 2 or 3 sheets of Green construction paper
• 1 sheet of Yellow or Gray construction paper
• 1 sheet of Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pen
• Double stick tape
• Large circular object (however wide the construction paper is)

How to make it:

1. Trace around the large circular object on the green construction paper with the pen.
2. Cut out the circle.
3. Use the double stick tape to adhere the circle to the bottom of the ice cream container.
4. Cut a piece of green construction paper to fit around the container. You may need two pieces of construction paper or be able to piece them together.
5. Use the double stick tape to adhere the construction paper around the container.
6. Cut a strip about 2" wide out of the black construction paper.
7. Cut a 4" square out of the gray or yellow construction paper.
8. Cut a rectangle in the middle of the gray construction paper about 1 1/4" x 2". Discard the little piece of construction paper. Hint: Fold the square into fourths and cut a square out of the middle of the folded area. Open up the square.
9. Check positioning of the black band by laying it around the hat about an inch above the brim. Cut off any excess construction paper where it meets in the back.
10. Lay the gray or yellow (buckle) over the black band as shown in the photograph. Once the layout is satisfactory, tape in place.
11. Add green tortilla chips, if available, and get ready for your feast.

Rainbow Mobiles

Difficulty: Easy

Age: 6 and up

Average User Rating:

Click to view larger

These mobiles are very colorful and are very easy to make. They look so inviting you may end up making more than just one!

What you'll need:

• 1 paper plate
• Paper streamers or wide ribbon in rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple)
  OR
  Craft paint in rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple)
• Scissors
• White craft glue
• Piece of ribbon for hanging
• Shamrock garland OR cut your own shamrocks from green construction paper

How to make it:

Rainbow Mobile

1. Cut the paper plate in half.
2. Cut a 40-inch length of streamer in each color.
3. Cut each length up the middle to create two long strips of each color.
4. Reserve one set of rainbow color strips for another project or for a second Rainbow Mobile.
5. Use one strip of each color. Glue the red streamer strip around the top curve of the paper plate. Make sure to center the streamer so you have equal lengths hanging off each side.
6. Repeat with each color, moving your way down from red to orange, then yellow, green, blue and lastly purple.
7. Add one more thin purple strip to the back of the plate to fill the gap in the center.
8. Tie a piece of ribbon into a knot, then glue to the back of the plate to use as a hanger.

Shamrock Mobile

1. Cut the paper plate in half. Paint it with craft paint in this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Use our photo as a guide. Let dry completely and paint the other side as well.
2. Cut shamrock garland into 18" strips.
3. Glue each strip to the back of the paper plate.
4. If you like, instead of store-bought garland, make your own shamrocks from construction paper and glue to lengths of string or yarn.
5. Tie a piece of ribbon into a knot, then glue to the back of the plate to use as a hanger.

Leprechaun & Pot of Gold Mobile

Try these fun printables to construct a mobile. Paint the paper plate half in rainbow fashion as indicated in the instructions above, then print the patterns below.

Leprechaun - PC (90 dpi) or Leprechaun- Mac (72 dpi)
Pot of Gold - PC (90 dpi) or Pot of Gold - Mac (72 dpi)

Color the printouts, then fold in half along the center line and glue the two sides together. While you're gluing, tuck the yarn for hanging. There is a small mark on the printout at the top center of the picture to show where the yarn goes.

Hang the leprechaun and the pot of gold on either end of the rainbow.

Tips:

• Foam plates work well for this project. They have smooth edges and paint sticks right to them.
• Make a 3-D rainbow by painting two paper plate halves. Glue them together and hang your shamrocks from the bottom.
• Have something fun for the kids to do during drying time so they don't jump the gun and grab their projects too soon.

These ideas were found on Kaboose.com! This is AN awesome site for kids crafts, holiday ideas, etc. You can sign up to receive an e-newsletter too!!

Time to PAY IT FORWARD!

I am so excited, because I've been wanting to do this for awhile but I've never been lucky enough to be one of the first three. But not this time! I was the FIRST one to sign up on her blog-yippee!! I have enjoyed the new friendships that I have made her through my blog! I love to get all the little goodies, cards and swaps in the mail from you girls! It so FUN to do nice things for others, isn't it?? I'm am so excited to be getting a handmade goodie from Katie over at Katie's Nesting Spot through her Pay It Forward event!!

Here's how it works. The first three bloggers to leave a comment on this post will get a handmade gift from me, yours truly, some time this year! It could be a mini-book, a card set, decoupaged frame...I don't know yet☺ That's part of the fun, it's just a little something in the mail from me to you, out of the blue.

Here is how you pay it forward: You, the lucky first three commenters, then post this on your blog so that three people can leave you a comment and in return you send them a handmade gift! Include a link back to me in the post.

The gift needs to be handmade by you! The gift can be any price you want and has to be sent out some time this year! You might want to send it out earlier before you forget it completely, and because your receipient is probably anxiously awaiting it. Remember it is the thought that counts!

When you receive your gift make sure you blog about it. Play nice.

Who wants to pay it forward? Who will be the first three lucky bloggers to leave a comment and receive fabulous goodies from me? Have fun!

Hugs,
Noelle ♥

A quiz...

Are You City or Country?

You Are Country

You'll take natural beauty and quiet over the hustle and bustle of the city. You can appreciate the simple things in life, and it doesn't take much for you to feel content. While you appreciate the many opportunities of the city, you see them as too much of a good thing. You love living a peaceful life. It's important that you can hear yourself think. Just a quick post today to say HELLO! I stayed up late watching a movie last night and am pooped! Check out some of these silly and fun quizzes like the one above!! See, I do WANT to live in the country!! hehehe Well, I hear a little voice upstairs calling, "Mom, Mom?" I must go rescue him from his crib!! Happy Day! ♥ Noelle ♥

...bits and pieces...

Fun-day, Monday! Not really:( Whenever the time changes, my body takes awhile to adjust to waking up an hour "earlier" but its actually later... does that make sense?? LOL I am very sleepy this morning and apparently have not made my coffee strong enough, so please bear with me!! Please??
The red roses shown above were given to me last Wednesday by my sweet future hubby after I got the bad, sad, make me mad NEWS that I didn't get my DREAM JOB!!! Can you sense that I am still bothered by this?? I can't tell you the last time he brought me flowers!! I was tickled though; it was a kind gesture!

Here they are trimmed down and in a vase ♥ When we first started dating in 1999; he used to get me yellow roses with red tips, lavender roses, pink roses, white roses with red tips... ooooh wee, was he a man of ROMANCE!! Surprised that we didn't have our first born back then!!! LOL;) So roses have always been significant to me because of how he use to WOO me with them! Soooo, I am having different colored roses in my wedding bouquet to symbolize those romantic ol' days!! (hehe)

Here is my Dollar Store Miss Bunny that is hanging on my front door! Isn't she cute? I love when you can find something so cute and not break the bank buying it!

Here is my only living room lamp that I wrap some floral garland around to make it a bit prettier. The heart hanging on it is from Michelle who was my Vintage Valentine Swap partner! The berry wreath hanging on the wall was from Sue who was my Christmas Cracker Swap partner; I think its supposed to be a candle ring but I added a ribbon and hung it on the wall!

Here's a yellow Pampered Chef bread/tools crock that was my grandma's that I use to put pretty spring colored flowers in. One of the few things I have gotten energy to put out to encourage SPRING CHEERFULNESS after this cruddy winter!

Oops! Ignore this pic; I forgot to rotate it before I uploaded! I did this two more times below as well... I told you I am not with it this morning!! LOL

Here is our new entertainment center with the Flat Screen tv that I got for Christmas; that I didn't ask for- lol! Brian is an electronics kinda guy and I guess he thought I would have liked a new TV for upstairs? I told him he could have saved a lot of money and just given me a well needed and deserved SPA package for Christmas insead!! Guys... gotta love them!! I DO L♥ve the new TV now and my pretty entertaiment center! Although, the color of the wood shows up all the NEW DUST that arrives daily!! UGH! So the chore that I hate the most, next to cleaning toilets is DUSTING! I'm over it though, I have to dust it every other day now!

The shelves are glass which are a nice touch too. Not as dusty as the wood:)
Here are a few spring things I've put out.

Told ya I did it again!! ^

This is my GW finds shelf!! The Apothecary Jar came from Wal-Mart though; isn't it cute? I have wanted some of these for awhile and was so glad when I found this one! I filled it with mini-eggs that I got at GW for a quarter! The Spring sign was from GW also and the glass votive cups are the Party-Lite ones I found there as well. The pretty hankie is from Michelle also; from the Vintage Valentine Swap♥

A couple of my tart warmers and a rose scented candle from Michelle;
its smells so good!

I mentioned a week ago that on my last GW trip I spent only $0.93!! I got this little basket on the left that HAD some eggs in it that now are missing... thanks Gage!! And the easter egg on the right is a basket that opens up too! It is so unique; never seen one like it! What else did I get that day?? Oh, a gingerbread magnet and a plaid table runner too.

Shannon from Paint Mine Pink recently did a post called "Is your home Perfect?" Well, mine is far from it! Boys toys are everwhere! I think thats one of my pink eggs lying there to the left of the tool bench!! Sneaky lil boy:)

Here is another pic of the boys from the library last week! They have all these foam shapes out in the play area. Gavin found this giant "doughnut" to be hilarious and was rolling it down the ramp! I'd give anything to have one of those at home for the boys; talk about endless hours of entertainment!!

Last week Gage figured out how to get water out of the automatic dispenser! TROUBLE!

Doesn't he look sneaky? See I told you that my yucky kitchen cabinets are our next big home improvement!!

He'll drink some then he usually pours the rest on the floor! At least its water though! hehe So we have had to starting using the "LOCK" on the water so he doesn't drink so much that he floats away. He know tries to fill a glass and says "Broke!"! LOL Yeah, I know its bad, but I told him the water is broke in the fridge!

My big boy Gavin brought tears to my eyes last week when he told me that he was going to be doing his first reading in church:( SNIFF, SNIFF! He has to do a petition at mass this week! He was so proud looking, but he told me he was very nervous to do it in front of all those people!!

I'm almost done chatting your ear off this morning!! Here is the FINAL copy of our SAVE the DATE cards that I HOPE to get sent out here soon!! Our awesome photographer put them together for us! I love the warm fall colors that go with our wedding theme!! Eeekkk... 8 more months only! I am SO excited!!

Thanks for listening to me ramble this morning! I must have really needed to do it:) Have a great day gals!

♥ Noelle ♥

What the...?

Ok, am I crazy or have all my posts disappeared off my page? I see them on dashboard but when I click VIEW BLOG; none of the posts are there!!!! HELP! Has this happened to anyone else????


Noelle :(