Spring Break And A To-Do List

Spring Break is finally here!!  My son's school has a 2-week break at Easter every year.  Hubs will also take off a few of the days.  This year, I have decided to take sort of a Spring Break myself!  I am going to take a 2-week break from this blog.  I want to take the time to spend with my family and to focus on getting some projects done around the house.

It's OK.  I'm fairly certain that you will survive the 2 weeks without me.  :)  And it's quite possible that the blogosphere will not come to a screeching halt!

So no posts from me for the next 13 days (I'll be back on 4/12).  But I have a few things for you to do so you don't miss me so much (and because I'm bossy).

I've got a to-do list for you!!  One thing to do for each of the days I'm gone.  Just stop by each day and do an item from the list.  It'll be like I'm still here!  If you haven't been here long, you'll learn a few things about me and if you're a long-time reader, you still might learn a thing or two.

Your To-Do List

1.  Look at my 100 Things list.  See what we have in common (or not)!  I've updated the list with a few notes so it's current.

2.  You might be needing a cake recipe for Easter, so browse through all the recipes from Cake Week last year.  You might find a new recipe to try or just stop and drool a little.

3.  Take Poll #1 over on my sidebar.  I'd like to know how you want me to reply to you - through e-mail or comments.  I appreciate your input!

4.  If you want more background info on me, read through my Slightly Serious Posts.  There aren't very many, so it won't take you long!

5.  Leave a comment on my Reader Shout-Out if you haven't already.  Last count, I was at 7 countries and 25 states.  It's fun to see where everybody is from!

6.  Since I'm on a sort of vacation, you might want to look through some of my vacation posts.  You can check out Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Lewis & Clark Caverns and Yellowstone.

7.  You might like to browse through the Chocolate Friday Recipes.  All the chocolate recipes are listed and categorized in one spot.  I even updated the list with the 2010 chocolate recipes so far.

8.  Check out my other blogs.  I will be posting on them during the 2 weeks since I don't post as often on them.  My healthier blog is Stop Eating All The Chocolates and I have a semi-secret 3rd blog that you can find and read if you're bored (Kim already found it!).

9.  Take Poll #2 on my sidebar.  I would love to know how you found my blog!

10.  I hope you enjoyed the Etsy shops that were promoted this month!  You can look in my fave Etsy shops for great gift ideas.  I have links to them on my sidebar. 

11.  I haven't mentioned our Basset hound Buster in a while.  You can get your fix of Buster pics by scrolling through the Buster posts.  He still makes us smile!

12.  Take a look at my Blogroll on my sidebar and find a new blog to read!  I enjoy all the blogs there and added a few more from my reader (it doesn't even include all the blogs in my reader - just too many!).

13.  This one's easy!  Leave me a comment telling me how many to-do items you completed and your thoughts!  I'll even count it as a bonus entry in a giveaway coming up after my break!

Did that help?  I hope so!  I hope you have a lovely 2 weeks and Happy Resurrection Day!

Though I won't be on this blog, I'll be posting on my others and will show up reading/commenting on other blogs, facebook, and twitter as I have time.

Thanks friends!!  Have a fabulous day!

Crafts By Manuella Giveaway Winner

Thanks to all who entered the Crafts by Manuella giveaway for some sweet baby booties (custom color and size)!

Aren't these some of the cutest baby booties you've seen?!

And the winner is...

Silver Pansy Designs

Congrats Silver Pansy Designs (Karen)!!

If you didn't win, you can always stop by Crafts by Manuella to purchase adorable baby booties, beautiful blankets, American Doll sweater sets and more!

Have a lovely day friends!

Ruffles and Fringe Giveaway Winner

Thanks for entering the Ruffles and Fringe giveaway!  And thanks again to my "models" for helping show off Nicole's lovely headbands!

And the winner is...

Charlotte

Congrats Charlotte!!!

If you didn't win, you can go order a pretty headband for a gift or for yourself from Ruffles and Fringe!

Have a wonderful day friends!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Chocolate Wisdom

We made it all the way through the week back to Chocolate Friday again!  If that doesn't call for eating chocolate, I don't know what does!

Instead of a recipe today, I thought I should share some chocolate thoughts from a book I received.  This book was given to me last year because a friend thought I might like it!  And I do!

There is some very helpful info in the book, including how to find chocolate when traveling abroad.  So, you need to know how to say "Excuse me, where is the nearest chocolate?" in other languages!

France, Belgium, Switzerland:
"Excusez-moi, ou est le chocolat le plus proche?"

Germany, Austria, Switzerland:
"Entschuldigen Sie bitte, wo ist die nachste Schokolade?"

Ancient Rome:
"Ardonpay emay, erewhay isyay ethay earestnay ocolatechay?"

England:
"I say, beg pardon, Old Man, but could you direct me to a nearby purveyor of chocolate, eh what?"  ;)

I'm sure that will be most helpful to you and you can practice those all day today! Now I'm counting on you to bring some chocolate today to link up.  Please give links that go directly to your chocolate post and if possible include a link back to this post!

Have a chocolatey day friends!

Etsy Giveaway ~ Crafts By Manuella

**Giveaway now closed.**

Oh - another Etsy shop for you today!!  I told you how fun it is to know Etsy shop owners in real life - this is another one!  In fact, I've known her for a few years and not through blogging.  She is a wonderful lady with a great family (her daughter used to babysit my son) and she has such a servant's heart!  I am so glad that she has opened an Etsy shop and I am honored to be able to share it with you today!

This wonderful lady's name is Manuella and her shop is called Crafts by Manuella.  She knits all sorts of things for babies and dolls.  She sells the cutest baby booties that I have ever seen!!  She makes adorable sweater and hat sets for American Girl dolls and other lovely items.  Let me show you a few of my faves...

I have to start with the super cute booties - I LOVE these colors for Spring and Easter!

And how about this set for a sweet baby boy?!

Another cute color combo!

And just look at these beautiful baby blankets  - soft and pretty!

Look at the adorable doll sets: love this Easter yellow doll set!

If I were a young girl, I would have to have this pretty pink set for my doll!

And isn't this set cute with the little kitten buttons?!

There are too many cute things to show you here - you simply have to go over to Crafts by Manuella to see it all:  booties, blankets, doll sets, hats, slippers, etc.  I can tell you that these items are high-quality and well-made.

Any of these would be so cute for your own babies or children, but they also make wonderful baby shower gifts!  I was at a recent baby shower where a pair of Manuella's baby booties were one of the gifts.  Let me tell you - everybody "ooohed" and "awwwed" and they were passed around the room to admire!!

Manuella generously offered to give away a pair of her baby booties to one of my U.S. readers!  The winner chooses the color and size!  Thank you Manuella!  You don't need to have your own baby to enter this giveaway - think about your friends and family that have babies or will be having babies.  You might become the favorite "Aunt" for giving these booties as a gift!  :)

*Giveaway closed.*

How to enter:  Go over to Crafts by Manuella and look around, then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is or what colors you would pick if you won the baby booties.  That's it!

This giveaway will remain open through Monday 3/29 and I will announce the winner on Tuesday 3/30.

Disclosure:  I did not receive any items from Crafts by Manuella.  I personally know her and have seen her work in person and my opinions are based on that!

 

Have a great day friends!

Godiva Giveaway Winner

Obviously you all enjoy the Godiva!!  Glad I could share the Spring collection - if you happen to purchase something, I wouldn't mind a bit if you shared with me - LOL!

Here are the cute and yummy Godiva items one of you will be enjoying soon!

And the winner is...

Kathy C

Congrats Kathy!!!

Thanks for entering everybody!  

Have a lovely day friends!

Simple And Sweet Baby Shower Ideas

I recently attended a baby shower and had such a fun time!  I just had to share a few ideas from the shower with you in case you ever need to throw a baby shower (or adapt the ideas to fit a different type of party)!

All decor was done in neutrals which turned out so lovely and fit in well with the home's shabby chic decor.  I forgot my camera so I had a friend (thank you LW!) snap a pic of the cutest (yet simple) baby decor idea.

Do you see the word "baby"?  Those are little onesies with iron-on letters strung up with twine/string! I LOVE that idea!  You could even use it in a baby's room and could even spell out the baby's name on onesies.  So precious and clever!

And check out the gorgeous tissue pom-poms hanging!  Really cute!  I just saw a tutorial on how to make a small pom garland (which make great party or Spring decor) at A Life Designed, by RJ - check it out!

The neutral theme continued with the baby shower favors.

These hand-made cones were filled with candies - a simple and sweet idea!

And I managed to win a prize for one of the shower games!

It doesn't get easier than that!  My gift was inside the paper strips.  Neutral, simple, and still lovely (it's cuter in real life than my pic)!

There was great food, of course!  Rather than a cake, there were white cupcakes with white frosting - half of them had little toppers with a boy's name and half had toppers with a girl's name (the parents-to-be want to be surprised!).  You could also use a recipe like Almond Baby Cakes and spell out whatever you like on the tops.

And we played some fun games!  I wanted to share one quick and easy idea that I thought was really clever for any kind of shower.  Each guest addressed an envelope to themselves for the mom-to-be to use for her thank you notes and then one of them was drawn for a prize.  So easy and helped out the mom-to-be with pre-addressed envelopes!

I was just so impressed with the decorations and how the party was done that I felt I had to share some of the ideas with you!  I hope you enjoyed it and found a tip you can use!

Have a simply sweet day friends!

Misty Kristy Designs Giveaway Winner

Another Etsy giveaway is over!  Thanks to all of you who entered!

One person gets to enjoy the set of these pretty black and white decorated folders from Misty Kristy Designs!

And the winner is...

Comment #7:  Lori Ann

Congrats Lori Ann!!!

If you didn't win, you can order yourself some pretty new folders to get organized by going over to Misty Kristy Designs!

Have a lovely day friends!

Etsy Giveaway ~ Ruffles and Fringe

**Giveaway now closed.**

I have another Etsy shop to tell you about today!  I hope you are having fun checking out some new shops!

I do love Etsy shops of people that I know through my blog and twitter, but you know what's really fun?  Having a friend that you know in real life open an Etsy shop!  I got to know Nicole through twitter and was blessed to actually meet her last year.  Here we are at a Yanni concert:

Nicole had a frugal blog (Being Frugal is Fabulous) but recently gave up her blog to focus on family and work on an Etsy shop instead.  Her shop is so cute!  It's feminine and trendy and works for little girls all the way up through lovely ladies!  It's called Ruffles and Fringe!

Nicole was sweet enough to give me 2 headbands to review.  I must say that they are well-made and even cuter than the pics!  Now my son wasn't about to model headbands for me - LOL!  I needed some cute girls to do it.  My friend's daughters helped me out - thank you girls (and thank you to my friend for taking the photos)!!

This is a pink tulle headband.

And this is a red rosette trio headband.

Aren't they pretty?  The headbands and the girls! I like this teal headband too:

And this pretty pink rosette headband:

Nicole has more than headbands in her shop.  Look at this pretty hair clip!

And check out this gorgeous melon pin:

There are too many lovely things to show you here - you need to go check out Ruffles and Fringe to see them all!

Nicole has a sweet treat for you!!  She is offering one of my U.S. readers a $15 gift certificate to her shop!!  Thank you Nicole!!

*Giveaway closed.*
How to enter:  Go over to Ruffles and Fringe and look around, then come back here and leave me a comment telling me what you think you would order if you won the gift certificate!

This giveaway will remain open through Friday 3/26 and the winner will be announced on Saturday 3/27.

Disclosure:  Ruffles and Fringe provided me with 2 headbands to review and generously offered to give away a $15 gift certificate.

Places you can find Nicole:
Etsy:  Ruffles and Fringe
Facebook:  Ruffles and Fringe
Twitter:  @rufflesnfringe

Thanks again Nicole!!  :)


Have a marvelous Monday friends!

Designed by RJ Giveaway Winner

Hope you're all having fun with learning more about Etsy shops and entering giveaways!  The giveaway for the cute Bitty Earrings from Designed by RJ is over.

And the winner is...

Comment #1: Lisa

Congrats Lisa!!  And no, that's not me, it's Lisa from Dusty Thorn Farm!

If you didn't win, you can always order yourself something cute from Designed by RJ or RJ Charms!

Have a great weekend friends!!

Would You Like Chocolate With That? ~ Godiva Giveaway

**Giveaway now closed.**

Welcome back to Chocolate Friday!  Time to reward yourself with some chocolate after a hectic week!

Oh, did I say Godiva?  Did that get your attention?  Well you know Godiva has fabulous chocolate!  And they have a lovely new Spring collection including chocolate truffles, bunnies, biscuits and more just in time for Easter gifts or even Mother's Day!

Look at this beautiful Spring Ballotin with the daffodil magnets on the box!

And I love these new Spring gift boxes with spring truffles (Cheesecake, Spring Raspberry, and Strawberries & Creme)!

Can't have an Easter collection without some adorable chocolate bunnies!

I had the opportunity to sample some Godiva chocolate!  I got to try this cute carrot filled with candy-coated chocolates!

Yummmm.  Hubs and I had it and well, we enjoyed it so much we ate.it.all. in one sitting and never even saved one bite for our son (don't sorry about our son, he has plenty of candy)!  Those chocolate pearls are delicious!  The candy-coating has just the right amount of crunch and sweetness and the chocolate inside is high quality as you would expect from Godiva!  And isn't that the most adorable packaging?

One of you (U.S. only), my fabulous readers will win one of these Milk Chocolate Pearl Carrots for yourself!  And because Godiva is generous and I worked with a sweet PR person (thank you Casie!), the winner will also receive one of the charming chocolate flower lollipops pictured below!

I know.  I rock.  Actually, Godiva rocks!

**Giveaway closed.**
How to enter:  Stop by Godiva and then come back and leave a comment telling me what your favorite Spring item is!  Super simple!

This giveaway will be open through Wednesday 3/24 and the winner will be announced Thursday 3/25.

Disclosure:  I received some free Godiva candy to sample and review if I chose and was generously provided with more candy to give away on my blog.
  
Enough of chocolate from me!  This is Chocolate Friday and I'm counting on you to link up some fabulous chocolate posts!  Please remember to only link to family-friendly posts that have something to do with chocolate and please try to include a link back here in your post so everybody can easily find more chocolate today!

Have a chocolatey day!

Etsy Giveaway ~ Misty Kristy Designs

**Giveaway now closed.**

I have another Etsy shop to tell you about today!  It's Misty Kristy Designs.  Kristy helped me out with a giveaway for my Blogiversary last year and I just love her decorated file folders!  I even got some for a friend who uses them at her job.  Pretty file folders make me more motivated to be organized.  Kristy also occasionally adds greeting cards to her shop.  Check back with her shop occasionally to see new designs or new items added.

I love this set with the old world blues and greens!

And this set is so cute with summer colors!

Here's an example of some cute greeting cards!

Kristy's folders are acid-free and pre-treated to resist growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew.  Kristy generously made a set of 3 decorated file folders to give away to one of my U.S. readers!

I know the winner will love this classic and pretty black & white set!

How to enter:  Stop over at Misty Kristy Designs, then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is, or what colors/designs you would like to see in the shop.  Easy enough!

This giveaway will remain open through Monday 3/22 and I will announce the winner on Tuesday 3/23.

Disclosure:  I did not receive any free items from Misty Kristy Designs.  My opinions are based on items I have purchased from her shop and she generously provided a set of decorated folders to give away.

Places to find Kristy:

Etsy:  Misty Kristy Designs

Blog:  MistyKristy.com

Twitter:  @M_K_Designs

Facebook:  Misty Kristy Designs

Have a pretty day friends!  Oh and don't forget that it's Chocolate Friday tomorrow - bring your chocolate posts to link up!