All About Cats

I felt like looking at kitties, today.  I had a long work day and lots of stuff just coming at me, so I had some "awwww"s with these photos.  Thought I'd share.  

I felt like I was having a day like this guy in the last photo.  

Brit

Gorgeous Pumpkins!!

I am so excited, this year, about Halloween!  Have you seen some of the amazing ideas for pumpkins?  I never thought of doing these kinds of creative decorating with them.  Until now, I've made them with cut out faces and candles.   

These first ones were made with puffy paint.  It looks like beautiful black bling.

These were decorated with acrylic paint, puffy paint, and simple toothpick scratching.  

Love the spider and silver bling.  I'm not sure if these are those gem stickers or sequins.  The spider looks like it was spray-painted silver.

Vinyl elements, black jewels, and ribbon make these so cute.  

Um, stencil and freehand painted pumpkins?  Wow.  

I love the fall colors used here and the different patterned pumpkins are a great touch.  Simple acrylic paint was used.  

Spraypainted black, then draw an argyle pattern with acrylic paint.  

These beauties are my favorite.  I don't know how they did them, though.  Any ideas?  Stencils?  ModPodge?  If anyone knows, please leave me a message.  

I can't wait to get started this year on some of these!

Brit

Platypuses or Platypi?

How do you say platypus in the plural form?  Just curious.  I've been stuck on them lately, and I grow to love them more every day.  They have fur, sport webbed feet, lay eggs, are poisonous, and are nocturnal.  My brother told me recently that the platypus is a monotreme.  Here is a baby one.

My daughter has been fascinated with the platypus, too.  Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb is one of her favorite characters.

I found this adorable plush toy on Pinterest.

Crocheted platypus, anyone.

How cute is the necklace?  Check out this etsy store, called marymary handmade.  If you are interested in odd animals, you'll love all of her necklaces.  

Brit

ROASTe - amazing online coffee store!

ROASTe has a large variety of coffees - award-winning, micro-roasted coffee, equipmen,t and accessories.  Anything to do with great coffee they have.  


You can leave reviews on any coffee you purchase, too!  That's kind of fun.  I love leaving reviews when I enjoy a product.  

ROASTe offers Free Shipping on orders over $35 - use coupon code for $5 off your first coffee purchase - BLOGME5

Check it out at:  http://click.discountclick.com/go/click.php?tid=684751

Brit

Become.com

I found a great new shopping site, called Become.  The fall and winter are approaching.  They have some beautiful ladies flannel shirts.  I've never actually owned a flannel shirt, but I hear they are very comfy.  All their prices are reasonable, too.  I love buying things online, because of the better prices.  

My youngest daughter starts Jr. Kindergarten in January, and I'm thinking a cute little roxy backpack 

or one of these jansport backpacks is perfect for her.  

The site, Become, has lots of other items too:  electronics, clothings, jewelry, things for your home, and health & beauty items.  Check it out, and see what you think.  

Brit

My Crazy Family

Contributed by Milford Woods

My family is loud – louder than most – and that’s what I love about them. My wife and I had to move in with my sister and her husband late last year after we were both laid off and it’s really been a blessing in disguise because we get to spend so much more time around our family and I know the kids are loving it. I’ve been trying to help out with stuff around their house by doing yardwork and paying for the internet dsl highspeed that my family uses but I know it’s only a matter of time before we wear out our welcome which is totally fair. I love my sister but I can understand why she wouldn’t want us in her house for much longer! Either way, I feel like my family’s really close and I feel lucky for that and hope we continue to get together all the time like we do now, if not only for the children’s sake since they love their cousins.

Top 10 Sexiest Men

A few weeks ago, I was watching some top 20 sexiest men list on the television.  Some of them I agreed with, and others I was like "yuck".  Did anyone ever think Burt Reynolds was sexy?

I decided to make my personal list of 10 men, who I've found attractive.  Some are older, some are brand new.  All are extremely hot to me.  If I've missed some good ones, let me know.  I would love to hear what men other ladies find hot.  Except, Matthew McConaughey, don't mention him.  I have a sister and a friend who are in love with this guy, and he bugs me.  He always has his shirt off and he talks funny.  

Here's my list: 

Tom Selleck - I've always loved this guy.  From Magnum P.I. to Three Men and a Little Lady to Friends.  He has managed to stay handsome the whole way.

Clint Eastwood - He was so tough, and still is.  That voice "make my day".  I was just a little girl when I first saw him, but he was so cool.

Harrison Ford - From his Working Girl days.  I loved how he had Melanie Griffith's back, and how he made her lunch at the end of the movie.  Super sexy.  

Christina Bale - This guy is an acting genius.  Batman Begins and The Fighter. 

 

Bradley Cooper - He has the best hair and eyes.  Such a pretty boy, but so funny.

Jon Hamm - He's big and handsome and hilarious.  I loved watching him on Saturday Night Live. 

Michael Schoeffling - School girl crush.  I wanted to be Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles.  Jakes was a stud.  

Joe Manganiello - True Blood is a favorite of mine.  I read all of the books.  Joe Manganiello plays Alcide so well.  

Paul Walker - This guy just seems like a normal handsome boy.  The movie Running Scared is what changed my mind.  He was brilliant in that and so sexy.  I can't think of him any other way.  

Chris Cornell - I fell in love with him when he had long hair and was in Soundgarden.  As long as he has that amazing voice and can play guitar, I will always love him.  

Did you notice how much facial hair most of these men have or have had?  I love beards, can't get enough of them.  I think men are so much sexier with one.  

Brit

All About Origins

Once I switched to Origins, I never looked back.  Their products are amazing, natural, and perfect for any type skin.  I've been using their A Perfect World moisturizer for a year, now.  My skins feels smooth and young.  

I love experimenting with their face cleansers.  I just got the Foaming Face Wash and VitaZing SPF lotion.  I also use the Zero Oil face cleanser.  I like to alternate the cleansers and change it up for my face a bit. 

I've used the Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash, which my two small daughters use.  It is perfect for kids, because it is gentle on their skin and leaves it feeling soft.  Never a Dull Moment is a great face cleanser, too,  if your skin needs a little perk-me-up.  

Brit


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10 Easy Cheap Activities for Kids

1.  Tracing:  Give them a coloring page, a pencil, and a window.  They can place the front side against the window and trace onto the back.  My daughter got this idea, when someone bought her an expensive tracing machine from Target.  She would get so frustrated because the little lamp kept moving and the picture she was tracing was getting messed up.  Little smartie experimented against a window and found it worked better.  It's free and she even had her little sister try it.  They are getting so good at their freestyle because of the tracing practice.  

2.  Puppets:  You can have them make little paper puppets.  Get some popsicle sticks, crayons, and paper.  Help them make little characters or cut out magazine characters and put on a puppet show.    

3.  Cootie catchers/Origami:  Did you forget about those?  My daughter has different cootie catchers.  One she says is a boy one and one is a girl one.  The boy one says things like "you will turn into bacon" and "Duck a goose is coming".  The girl one says "I love you" and "you are the best".  She got into origami, from making these cootie catchers. 

4.  Yarn jewelry:  They can learn to braid from this.  I let them pick out three colors, tie one end in a knot, place that end under a sofa leg so it stays put, and let them braid at their own pace.  You can also create your own tying board, so they can practice tying bows for their shoes.  

5.  Chalk:  They can crush it up and put some water in it and make it paint.  My girls love that.  They pretend it's food, paint, or mud.  Get them outside and let them get dirty.  It's the best thing for them to use their imagination.  


6.  Making Cards:  Get out your craft box, stamps, stickers, ribbons, scrapbooking paper, buttons, sticky gems.  Let them get creative and make something for their grandma or dad.  It lets them express their feelings and use their imagination.  Both are really important.  


7.  Collections:  Bottlecaps, beads, rocks, miscellaneous trinkets.  My daughter has a box of treasures that she keeps her little trinkets in.  She likes to give some away to friends.  It gives her a sense of ownership.  They don't need expensive toys and video games.  Show them how to appreciate the small things in life. 

8. Painting:  Go to Michael's and buy the big water-based bottles of paint.  They are $2 to $3 each.  Mine have lasted over a year now.  It's a great investment.  Whenever my kids are bored, they grab their paintbrushes and some paper.  It's better than the t.v.  They can also paint those rocks they've been collecting.  

9.  Make Books:  Get some paper, pencil, and a stapler.  My daughter recently did a comic book, but she loves to make lots of different kinds of books.  

10.  Bead Jewelry:  We got a big tub of beads at Michael's and some elastic string.  You don't have to get the expensive ones.  This helps with their dexterity and their focus.  

     


 Brit


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Versatile Blogger Award

Wow!  I just started blogging and Melissa from Mel Dreams Often gave me the Versatile Blogger Award!  I am so excited and kind of in disbelief.  Thanks Melissa!  

After accepting the Versatile Blogger Award, the blogger must

1. Thank the person who gave the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass this award along to 10 recently discovered blogs. 

Now I would like to share 7 things about myself with you

1. I'm in love with Bradley Cooper. Those beautiful eyes!   
2. I never dreamed about getting married and having kids.  It just happened.
3. My favorite animal is the platypus.  It's like a missing link, with fur and eggs.   
4. Politics and religion really bug me.  I don't enjoy talking about them.  
5. I'm a delayed gratification kind of person.  I don't need anything that badly.   
6. The country I most want to visit is Iceland.  
7. I'm afraid of heights.       

Last, but certainly not least I must nominate 10 bloggers for The Versatile Award.  I really enjoy these blogs, and I hope you take time to visit them.

1. I'm Thinking
2. Vintage Gwen
3. Page on Paper
4. A 37's 42
5. redBuddy notes
6. Mirrors, Metaphors, and Kaleidoscopes
7. Smith Craft Adventures
8. Mad Town Macs
9. Moonbeams & Fireflies
10. Yellow Me Daisy

Brit

Baritone Ukele - Perfect Start

My daughter is 4 1/2 years old.  She's really into dancing and music.  I wanted to get her started with guitar lessons.  The child guitars they have for purchase are over $200.  I decided to go with the baritone ukele.  The four strings on this instrument are the same as the first four strings on a guitar.  It fits nicely in her arms, and she can stretch her little fingers over all the frets.  

I was a little discouraged, at first, because learning the notes overwhelmed me.  So, I thought she would have a more difficult time than I did.  Fortunately, kids are like sponges at this age.  She remembers things that I don't.  She knows how to play six notes, and is able to play part of jingle bells.  I'm so proud of her.  

The note above shows her playing the note, F, which is the 1st finger above the 1st fret on the first string, then strum.  Music is such a great way to express yourself.  I highly recommend trying an instrument with your own child.  It may seem daunting, at first.  Once they get it, though, they take off.  




Brit
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A Few Ways To Save

Instead of refrigerated orange juice, try frozen.  You can get 4 cans of frozen for the same price as one refrigerated box.  It saves you space, too.

Find a Winco, in your area.  The have the best products and prices for groceries.  Compare them to Raley's, Safeway, or Nuggest and you will see that they are about half the price.


Refill your soap.  They sell those cute soap dispensers individually.  Instead, of tossing it in the recycle bin when you are done, fill it up again and reuse.  You can get a large jug of soap to refill the smaller ones.  If you are feeling really frugal, check out Snowflakes and Dragonflies for a tutorial on how to make your own foam soap from scratch.

Michael's has charms and pendants at affordable prices.  I found this charm for $2.50.  I decided to just use an old necklace chain I had.  All I have to do is replace the charm to whatever I want every day.  I don't need a new chain for each one.  

Brit

Pinterest

If you haven't come across Pinterest, you should check it out.  I used to go around blog hopping, and I had to save every project or cool blog into my favorites.  With Pinterest, you can pin a picture of the project and it holds the blog link with the picture, for you to go back later. 


Check out these metallic toes.  I put it in my style board.






Or this super cute dress... style board.  




I love avocado, and I found some yummy bruschetta.  Seriously, you can pin anything you want. 




Come follow me on Pinterest and see what the fun is all about!




Brit



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