{A Big GIve}

My buddy Tabitha over at A FiveOh4 Uplifting is up to her glorious good deeds again and she needs a little help. A FiveOh4 Uplifting is an orgainzation founded by Tabitha and her family. They do everything from send notes of encouragement to people affected by devastating illnesses to sending gifts and goody bags to children who are in the hospital. Tabitha and her effort to reach and uplift people is really something to behold. If we had more lovely people like Tabitha in our world, it would be a different place.

A FiveOh4 Uplifting does not accept cash, however, you can help them donate over 800 goody bags to children that are in the hospital over the holidays, just buy making a purchase at Oriental Trading Company. It's so easy! It's not expensive and every little bit helps. Please join me in supporting not only a wonderful cause, but a wonderful person as well. Visit A FiveOh4 Uplifting for additional details on how you can help.

{A Few Things I've Learned}

A few things I've learned this week...

1. A 3 year old has the innate ability to go from sweet, cuddly child, to insane and certifiable in 2.2 seconds and/or vice versa.

2. I apparently am a lot less free spirited than I would like to admit. In an attempt to have some fun, I let Ryder decorate his Christmas tree in his room. I praised & admired like any good Mommy would, then when he was distracted with the Santa on a dirtbike ornament I swiftly changed everything around so that it all flowed a little better. Don't judge me.

3. Boys like dirt and there is really nothing I can do to change that.

4. I'm bi-lingual. Yes, its true. This new skill had a sudden onset kind of like the flu. You know how when you're sick and you're head starts spinning? Well, listening to three toddlers all day long can be a lot like that sometimes, but then suddenly I understood everything they were saying to each other. Toddlerease. I speak it - you let me know if you need any translations.

Hosted by Cecily and Sue

{And It's A Wrap}

It's a wrap! It's official! I can FINALLY fill you in on some of the details about my sister-in-law Ashley's baby shower. Oh it has been killing me not to give you the play by play as it has happened, however, I know Ash and she reads the blog and that would have ruined the surprises!

Planning this Baby Shower was something I have wanted to do for a long time. I planned and thought about what to do for this or that and it was nice to see everything come together. Most of all, I'm glad it pleased the Mama-to-Be.

Ashley is an avid Winnie The Pooh fan. She is fully aware of my disdain for anything too "themey" however, my sweet niece will have an entirely Classic Pooh nursery, therefore, I knew I had to pay homage to Classic Winnie the Pooh at the shower. Nothing against, poor ole Winnie or Ash, we just like different things for nursery decor. Too bad she wouldn't go for that bright pink & orange combo I so loved....LOL At any rate, Delaney has a beautiful nursery with fabulous apple green walls and pops of Winnie the Pooh to spark her little imagination early.

For the shower invitation I wanted it to reflect the colors I would be using at the shower, honor Ashley's LOVE (slight obsession, I'm just sayin') of scrapbooking, and of course, dear ole Winnie. So I contacted Silly Me Design and we began working on some ideas. This is what we came up with...

Next, I contacted Ciao Bambino to have all of the decorations custom designed and to include Classic Pooh. Have you ever tried searching for Winnie the Pooh stuff online? I mean, Pooh is a popular classic, you would think there would be a lot of high quality options...not so much. I knew Jeniene would not let me down! Jeniene went above and beyond helping me decide on what to get, working with my budget, and customizing my pieces.

This the view of the main staple of the room...like my little lanterns hanging? Those are my "bee hives" for the honey bees that usually accompany Pooh's favorite treat...

Jeniene made this lovely name banner that we used at the shower and Ashley & Jason plan to use in Delaney's nursery....

We had flowers with table confetti...

An apothecary filled with pink tulle, a paper chain, and sonogram pictures of Delaney...

I used Jeniene's Smash Cake Toppers to top the diaper cakes I made. Also on this table were advice cards for the Mom To Be featuring who else? Winnie the Pooh!

This is the diaper cake that was on the mantel full of flowers and honey bees...

And finally, the favors. Oh the favors were my FAVORITE part! I ordered little jars of honey - because its Pooh's favorite treat - for everyone to take home. I wrapped each jar with pink tulle and yellow polka dot ribbon with a custom favor tag with the letter "D" for Little Miss Delaney.

This is me, Ashley, and my Co-Hostess Hilary

And the proud Soon-To-Be-Parents. Aren't they cute?

It really was a joy putting all of this together to celebrate the impending arrival of my sweet Delaney Pie. Words cannot express how happy I am for Jason & Ashley. January cannot get here soon enough.

{Perfectly Simple.}

I confess. I put up Christmas decorations yesterday - hence the lack of a post. **GASP!** I know in some people's opinion it is a touch too early....but honestly, it was the rebel in me that just had to do it. It was 75 degrees here yesterday! Come on Mother Nature! Give a girl a little chill in the air at least! PUUULEEEZ!

So while I'm sure most people are still just thinking about decorations, I wanted to share these super simple finds that I discovered at Real Simple. I love how simple everything is but it is still fun and festive.

Simple clean art canvases with ribbon tied around like a sweet little package add a nice holiday touch to this mantel.

Silver bells in a Brandy glass would add just the right amount of shimmer to any holiday table...

And why spend the big bucks on place mats when squares of red felt look just perfect?

Oh the holidays are upon us and it is so exciting! I have lots of fun gift ideas to throw your way and a friend of mine is doing a big give over at her blog. I'll have more details about cool gift ideas and Tabitha this week! If you would like more decorating ideas, head on over to Real Simple. They never disappoint! I hope everyone had a wonderful start to their week!

{A Rookie Mistake}

It's true is any circumstance really. Right? Even seasoned "Pros" make rookie mistakes - even my dear Hubby. I was out last night and while Brian was cleaning up after dinner he knew Lincoln's whereabouts - but he was unsure of where Ryder & Ruby Jane were until he heard giggling from behind the chair. Brian continued, enjoying a rare quiet moment in our house until some thing told him to go check on the little sneaky ones. This is what he found....

What is that of my FRESHLY painted walls? That would be my Cherry Red MAC lipstick. Yep - all over the walls and as you can see their precious little faces too. I have to say their application to themselves and the wall isn't half bad for a 2 & 3 year old. Maybe I have two little budding artists in the family. I'll just have to redirect them to their coloring books instead of my walls.

My first reaction to the news of what had happened? "Babe! You KNOW if any of our children are being quiet and you haven't given them a snack or they're not either sick or asleep then they are DEFINITELY up to no good! Anyone knows that!"

{Now, that's not 100% true but in a house with one 3 year old and two 2 year olds its most likely the case...just sayin'}

Oh well. What re you gong to do? When Brian found them it was so bad it was funny. He KNEW he had to grab his phone and take a picture. This is one for the record books. A story we'll tell for many years, just as my Grandma always tells a story about me disappearing only to be found up to no good fully wrapped in toilet paper. I was just testing my design capabilities.

Sometimes we just have to see the humor in a situation, even if it means more work to do so.

Hosted by Cecily and She's a moron and can't remember...

{Eddie Ross & How Stella Gave Me My Groove Back}

I posted earlier today about how Stella gave me my groove back. That sweet Stella, she's a fabulous gal. So, I thought I would add to the fun story by also including our other mutual BFF Eddie Ross. Well, he may not know he is our BFF, but we do and that is all that matters. We admire him and all of his wonderful style from afar. Eddie's beautiful new farmhouse was featured in the premiere issue of Lonny. Here is a sneak peek but you can read all about how it came about here.

Stella. Stella. Oh Stella Blue. Thank you for giving me my groove back. Who is Stella Blue you ask? You can find out more about Mrs. Blue at her lovely blog. But I'll give you a little inside scoopage here.....Erin and Mrs. Blue go waaaay back and because I am one of Erin's {favorite} people I'm instantly in the Stella Blue Club! How lucky am I??? So, Erin & I were both cordially invited to drive a few hours and have a girl's retreat at Stella's house. And let me tell you, Erin and I were counting the weeks, the days, the minutes, for our retreat. Not only would we be spending quality time together but it would be uninterrupted and {hold your breath} we would be on.our.own.schedule! There will be no one to wake up and get dressed. There will be no diapers to change and there will be no sippies to fill or suckers given as bribery. Oh no. Not for two glorious days. Do we want to stay up until 3am talking? Sure we do! Do we want to take our sweet time and eat as much yummy food as possible? Um, YEAH!

And that is just what we did....

{Stella, Me, & Erin}

Not only did we have a ton of fun and spend some great time together, Stella Blue inspired us with her perfectly organized areas, her systems, and her beautiful home. I am an organized person, but we all know I've been struggling a little lately. A lack of focus if you will. Well, Stella restored my focus. She reminded me of what being organized looks like, how it makes you feel, how a perfectly organized bin makes you feel like you have it together - put a label on that bin and my heart will siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnngggg!!!!!

So during one of our shopping outings, I picked up two baskets to organize with. And when i got home organizing is what I did! Take a look for yourself:

I started small. I put these selected cookbooks in my basket that will stay on the kitchen counter. I have others in the cabinet, but these are easy to reference and I can always rotate books in and out depending on my mood...

And then I just close the lid....Aaaaaaah.....sweet serenity.

Next? Well, I'm picking up my pace so I head to my desk where I collect, discard, recycle and organize materials....

Oh. A tidy desk is a happy desk!

Now it's time. Time for the Grand Finale of the organization for today. I regroup, get my thoughts together and have a lot of this....{Almond Toffee creamer is the way to go!}

Here are a few {Before} pictures. These pictures really do not do the mess justice....

Cook Books, Recipe Box, Cascade and a multitude of other items....

Cleaners all crammed together....so unkind....There is even a 3rd cabinet that received a makeover, however, I was not brave enough to take a {Before} picture of that one. You know I like to keep it real, but I don't want to scare you away!

A little time and focus and VOILA!

Big *SIGH* of relief. I can breathe again! And do you see that in the bottom left corner? That is what FREE space looks like! WHO KNEW!??

All of the organizing aside, it was such a treat to spend quality time with two fabulous friends. We laughed until we thought we may pee our pants or wake the neighbors, there were adventures, we traded secrets, we talked and talked and talked and it was so much fun. I even got to meet another fellow blogger; Megan of Redmon Ramblings. What an unexpected treat that was! Like someone added extra sprinkles to an already perfect ice cream sundae.

I feel revived and refreshed. Thanks ladies for filling my spirit up!

{Closet Organization 101}

First, and foremost, thank you to those of you who understood my bedroom/closet clutter dilemma. And for those of you who had no idea what I was talking about, because you do not have a messy bedroom...I am hear to tell you that you have a gift. A very special gift that I would love to have! Feel free to give me some helpful tips because I am literally drowning in my closet! I do not lie!

So, for those of us who do not know what an organized closet looks like, I thought I would share some jewels that I found. I knew Martha would have our back, after all, she's the Queen Bee of organization and labeling! Oh if I could be 1/10 of the organizing woman that she is!

Example A: Clean, de-cluttered closet and it looks as if everything is in its place. And whomever this closet belongs to, they are very color coordinated. Notice there are no clothes outside of the closet. Interesting....very interesting.

Example B: Labeled hanging bags. I think this may be beyond my talents, but I am willing to get there. Willing to have it as a goal.

Example C: FOLDED shirts and sweaters! Who knew anyone really did this?!? And so perfectly neat too! Oh I can only aspire to be this good.

Example D: Organized accessories? Oh Martha Martha Martha! You're killing me! I am impressed.

Example E: This is apparently what clothes look like when they are actually hung on the hangers that reside in my closet. I'm not going to get ahead of myself but I'm thinking this is a good plan here. I mean, if I did this, I could actually see the clothing I have. I could actually put (dare I say?) outfits together! GASP!!!

Oh the beautiful hangers with their beautiful clothes. It is a glorious moment. As I said yesterday, the rest of my house is clean, organized, tidy. My room? My closet? HIDEOUSLY disorganized. I need help. Maybe there is a support group for people with my kind of problem. And yes, it really is that serious. It's driving me insane!

If you would like to view all of Martha Stewart's glorious closet organizing tips, just go here. In the meantime, I'm going to go assess the seriousness of the situation in my closet. I am sure by now, my problem has multiplied. I'm convinced my clothes reproduce when I'm not around.