Pixies and Bears

So.. I met my neighbor

2012-01-03T19:25:00.001-06:00

Not exactly the way I would have liked either. This past week I have had trouble sleeping at night. This morning I woke up around 6 and decided I was going to do something useful since I couldn't fall back to sleep. I swept the floors and mopped the upstairs and downstairs and then threw in some laundry. I noticed Joseph was still up so we Skyped for a bit. It kinda felt like a wave of sleep passed over me but I had to bring Hayden to school. Ok.. so 2 min drive and then 2 min back meant I could go back to sleep in like 5 min.

I load the kids in the truck and start backing out of the driveway. Keep in mind it's pretty dark and I feel as if I'm sleepwalking at this point. I hear a BOOM when I get to the road. Thinking I may have just hit a snowdrift I keep backing up (not sure what my logic of this was). After hearing a second BOOM I decided maybe I should actually get out of the truck to see what I hit. I get out of the truck (hair is a mess and I'm in pjs) and realize I ran over not 1 but 2 of my neighbors trash cans...that were full... of trash.... The first few words that popped into my head (or maybe I said them out loud, I cant remember, I'm still asleep) I can't repeat. So I thought maybe I could pick it up real fast and hope I didn't bust his trash cans. But then I quickly realize that not only did he not use bags in his trash cans so there is individual trash EVERYWHERE, but he is standing 4 feet away in shock. This is where I am completely humiliated and apologize profusely. He said it was alright and started picking up the trash. Of course I go to help and he shoos me off.

I have actually been meaning to meet him since they moved in recently, but I'm sure I am now dubbed 'The crazy lady who can't drive and runs over trashcans'... My fail for the day :(

In good news I started my art journaling again today. My goal is to do 2 pages a day.

Oh!! And 1 month down for Josephs deployment!!! :D

xoxo

Oh hai!

2012-01-01T15:09:00.000-06:00

Wow, so the last time I published a blog was in May.. of last year. So many things have been going on in my life. Let's see where to start... I decided in May I was going to take a break from blogging as well as my shop, just for the summer. That way I could spend more time with my family and friends. Well our little town in Minot was flooded and I mean FLOODED. I'm sure a lot of you saw it on the news. A lot of people lost their homes and businesses were shut down for months. We had water issues as well. Anything we drank had to be boiled or drank from a bottle. It was tough, but we were one of the fortunate ones.

In July I got the itch to get a new car. I was tired of driving the "mommy mobile" (ford escape) and wanted to go back to my roots with a Hemi. I found a private buyer and got a GORGEOUS 2006 Charger SRT8. It was garage kept and had super low miles. We drove across the state to pick it up. I added some flowmasters and cold air intake (I sound like such a guy now). It's my baby who has to be kept in the garage all winter because snow + car = not moving. So that was a little birthday present to myself.

After the summer I was sure to start blogging again in September... that didn't happen. I was enjoying family time way too much to give that up. I ended up selling my DSLR camera and getting a coolpix. I didn't use the camera at all to it's capabilities and it was just too much to carry around with me everywhere.

Somewhere in October I managed to finally complete my Momiji collection with all the dolls I didn't have. I now have every doll and a Momiji sanctuary of sorts in my craft room. When I'm having a rough day I like to go down there and it makes me smile :)

I started modeling a lot more. I found a niche for it. It gives me so much confidence. I have another shoot coming up this month, I'm modeling for a jewelery business :) I'll post pics!

At the beginning of December Joseph got a phone call saying he had to deploy in less than 24 hours. Yea... 24 hours. We were pretty upset because it was such short notice, but he is supposed to be back in April. Christmas was pretty lonely, but we did get to Skype with him for a little bit.

I'm not sure why I picked today to blog, maybe out of pure boredom. I am also not sure which direction I'll be taking this blog in 2012. Maybe less crafty and more about my life and things happening, a more personal touch :) I'll always have the same name though!

If you stuck around through my long hiatus, thank you!!!

xoxo

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

2011-05-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

While I was in bed Joseph took a cute video of Kaylee eating her sandwhich. Of course she is always camera ready and constantly posing. I don't think she has figured out the whole video thing yet. This video cracks me up!!!

Randoms

2011-05-24T12:58:00.001-05:00

The last few weeks has been great... BBQ'ing with friends, getting tipsy and karaoking.. and yes, I apologize now to Joseph, Debbie and Logan because their ears are probably still bleeding. I am a HORRIBLE singer and I learned that singing on the top of your lungs doesn't help you sing better, it just makes your hoarse and you lose a little respect... LOL.. I do rock Baby Got Back though, that's one song I know all the lyrics too and can get down with!

Some things that make me sad... Remember that tiger queen bathing suit that I posted? Yea, well apparently when they say it instantly adds 2 cup sizes, they ARE NOT lieing. There is no way a size C needs another 2 sizes. It looked like someone cemented 2 bowling balls to my chest. I have never felt a bathing suit weigh as much as this one. Had to have at least 3 pounds of padding in those suckers!! I fixed this problem pretty swiftly though. I got on Victoria's Secret and bought 4 bathing suits to try on. I got them yesterday and FINALLY found one that I loved. The other 3 were swiftly returned. Here is the winner...

something else that kind of saddens me is that I have not been in my craft room in MONTHS. I haven't created a thing. Of course I walk through it to get to my laundry room, omg did I mention my washer and dryer are amazeballs? I pretend things are dirty just to use them. I even learned a new way of folding to fit everything better in drawers. I am now committed to laundry. no joke. anywho... so I haven't created anything in a long time. I am feeling some creative juices flowing and I'm going to try my hand at collage painting. We redid Kaylee's toddler room forest style and wanted to make a few things to hang in there. I'll post pics of her room when those are finished. Gives me something to look forward too.

Things I'm proud of lately.. Kaylee is finally sleeping in her bed by herself. When Joseph was on swings I went through the whole putting her in her bed constantly until she got the hint. She has to sleep with Max and has a touch lamp but it works perfectly. I finally get alone time with Joseph and Modern Family is now an interrupted enjoyment. P.S Modern Family is the best mokumentary out there. You have to watch it!!!!

Something else I'm proud of, I have been getting my spending more under control. I have walked out of Victoria's Secret 2 times in the past month without spending a dime!! Because of good behavior I've been awarded to a free pass for their Semi-Annual sale on June 12th. You better bet your ass that's the only thing scheduled in my phones calendar right now.

Also, I have been off of coffee and Starbucks since the 1st. I am still going strong and I am SO VERY proud of myself. This is the longest I have gone in forever without it. I feel better and accomplished.

Something I'm loving right now. My new Blackberry Torch. We just signed a contract with AT&T and got to upgrade our phones. It was a choice between the IPhone or the Torch and after looking at both I went with the Torch. The only reason I was going to go with the IPhone is because they had white, after seeing they had a white Torch I was SOLD. I LOVE it. I am a Blackberry girl all the way. Of course the hubby went with the IPhone and that's fine. When I need my Angry Birds fix I have somewhere to go :)

Something new I'm trying, Oxy-Elite. It's an appetite suppressant and gives you a little energy. Let's just say I'll be at my goal weight in a few pounds and I have no problem prancing around in my bikini now. Now if they could just invent something that makes stretch marks disappear.... hmmmmmm

Something annoying right now.. I got a cold sore on my lip last Thursday and I've been stuck in my home since (minus karaoke night of course) I can't tell you how much it bums me out. I have NEVER had one before and it hurt like the dickens. I think I got it from the massive amount of sun that I've been taking in. My body isn't used to this much sun :(

Things that make me feel beautiful, I had a salon appointment and went with a deeper red. It's gorgeous!!! and of course got some waxing done. After hubby's playful joke (what a meanie) of me having a 'stache' I had it removed in half a second flat. My Hair Stylist/amazingness/friend moved salons and not only is it cheaper, but it's much more relaxed where she's at now. I love you Chelsea!!!

Things that I miss, Val and Phi. I miss you girls so much. Just had to give a shout out to my BF. I'm jealous your in FL with all the sun :)

OK I'm off, until next time...

Tiger Queen

2011-05-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

I did something I haven't done in 6 years...

I bought a bathing suit!! I finally have the confidence to wear something fierce and maybe a little sexy. Well, in my backyard at least lol. The pattern is called Tiger Queen and you can get it here.

It's a little crazy but that's how I've been lately

Gone Fishin'

2011-05-10T17:27:00.001-05:00

This past weekend we went fishing with our friends Logan, Debbie and their daughter Ali. We headed to Lake Darling and after no luck catching any fishies, we made an impromptu trip to Lake Metigoshi which is about an hour and a half away. We still didn't catch anything but it was a fun road trip :)

Here are some pictures I took at Lake Darling.

Kaylee

This is the "We wanted to fish at the other spot" look.....

Pretty sun hitting the lake

Debs :)

Of course I had to take a picture of my feet

Ali and Kaylee

My Haybear

Hope all the mommies out there had a great Mother's Day.

How did you celebrate?

Withdrawals

2011-05-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

So today marks day 4 of no coffee, can you say withdrawals?? I decided on the 1st of May I was quitting because I was dependent on it WAY too much and it was making me fat. After seeing how many calories my little cup of happiness was bringing in and almost dieing of shock I knew what I had to do. Not to mention my little addiction got expensive. I tallied up how much I was spending, and going to Starbucks approx 4 days a week ran me over $100 a month! WOW! (and that's not including gas). That is a lot of money I could be saving or spending on other frivolous things. That's not including the coffee I make at home either. I knew it was getting crazy when I was making 45min round-trips just for Starbucks. Now, this being said.... I will miss my Venti Java Chip with extra chip and extra shots of coffee... oh and no whip (I'm healthy because I get no whip right?!)

Your probably asking yourself, "why is she quitting cold turkey? She could just make it at home and it would be less calories AND be cheaper".. Well, I have tried this before and it's just not the same. I always end up at Starbucks like a child sneaking a cookie. So it's all or nothing for this gal.

Also, I will always remember the trips my friends made for me just so I could get my "fix". I love you Val and Debbie. Your sacrifices never went unnoticed.

So I guess this is my goodbye blog to coffee for now... at least until I can get that extra ring of fat that appeared around my waist to go away thanks to the extra chip I insist on ordering every time... or I become rich...

Your forever in my heart Java Chip!

I can do this right?

right?

Crazy but True

2011-05-01T00:24:00.002-05:00

So... I've been gone for like... a month? Well, not really gone, I've still been reading blogs but haven't been posting my own. Why you ask? I guess because I was starting to feel it was the same post but a different day. I noticed when I started incorporating my shop into my blog I became more.... reserved. The crazy outlandish part of my personality didn't come out in my posts at all. I wanted to look more business appropriate. Well, taking this break made me realize there is no reason to be so "reserved" and I will be the crazy, random, through good times and bad redhead I am. So, prepare yourselves.. it may get a little different over on my side of the block. Don't worry I'm not getting all NSFW on you :)

So what has been going on the past month? Let's see....

-I helped pack a best friend and watched her leave Minot to move to Miami... very very sad times, I miss you Val and Phi!! Our Starbucks, Taco Bell and mall trips were always EPIC!!

-Lots of girls nights.. lots of margaritas and lots of crazy!!! Never let a drunk guy take your photo.. it will be very blurry...

-I realized I can NOT listen to Cee-Lo Green in front of my daughter anymore. Nothing more than a "OMG did she just say what I think she just said??" moment...

-Blizzards, sunburns and then another winter storm.. no kidding...

-An amazing Easter with friends... Can I just say packing 220 Easter eggs is a lot easier then hiding 220 Easter eggs....

- I held a snake for the first time EVER. The neighborhood kids favorite past time is collecting garter snakes and then putting them in a bucket... Hayden was holding one so I was feeling pretty ballsy and held one too. Wanna see the bucket??

- I daydreamed about a new front load washer and dryer and literally the next day my washer broke... So... we got new Whirlpool front loaders.. Ummm hello 5.0 cu feet?? YES!!! Goodbye money!

- I am so grateful for all the amazing friends in my life. Can't choose your family but the friends I have are my family :)

-Still waiting on Kaylee's bedroom set and she still is scared of sleeping by herself. We finally got her in her bed but we have to fall asleep in there and then sneak out. booooo!

- Bought 2 new Coach bags and wallet... Impulse buys... still feeling kinda guilty for those :( But they are ohhhhh so pretty right?

-Was told by several people I need my own reality show... Why is this?? hehe

-Kaylee had her first Starbucks- no coffee of course.. can you tell she liked it? She now says "Starbucks Chockey Pleassssseeeee" every-time we go.. What have I started???

I'll be honest, I feel like I have been so free since I haven't posted. I felt all I did was sit around and think of new things to blog about.. Now, when I blog it will be when I have time and not because I spent forever brainstorming what is or isn't "blog-worthy". I'm sure some of you will learn a lot of new things about me as I post. I'll be posting more about my struggles and crazy happenings around here.

Sigh...

2011-04-03T10:23:00.001-05:00

[source]

The past few weeks have been crazy here. I can not express in words how tired I am. My days have been full of Starbucks, Weeds (already on Season 3) and Nurse Jackie. Did I mention the couch and a huge comforter? Kaylee has all of a sudden become terrified of her room or her bed at night. Even after putting her crib to the lowest setting and it coming up to her chin when she stands, she can still monkey her way over it. We have tried everything from lights, to reading to her, to sleeping on the floor until she falls asleep. Nothing works! At 3 am every night we hear a crash and then a scream and then little feet running into our room. I read online (you know, because online is like.. always right and all) that it could be a phase. We decided to just start all over and treat it like a big girl thing. We are selling her crib and dresser and went and bought her a big girl room set up and a gate for her door so we can lock her in (oops did I say that?) Its on back-order until May but we get the twin mattresses on Friday so we can work with her on it for a few weeks before going a little higher. I'll take pictures once we have it all set up. I'm hoping all the big girl room will make her want to stay in! We shall see. At least we don't have to worry about her getting hurt getting out of the bed anymore. Also... I may have failed to mention my son taught her how to hunt zombies... and now she runs around with his Nerf shotgun saying "pow pow zombies". She has no clue what a zombie is (not yet at least) but I'm guessing Hayden may have described it in enough detail to scare the bejesuses out of her... Hoping it's not related to her "room terrors".

Off to do some custom orders.. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xoxo

P.S It's snowing ... Feel bad for me? hehe

Easter Badges in Shop!

2011-03-25T18:43:00.000-05:00

Only 1 set available!! Go, Go, Go!!

Also, I decided to make the cactus a regular badge. It was too cute not too!! :)

Click Here!!

xoxo

Today...

2011-03-24T18:04:00.001-05:00

I made some Easter badges!! A good customer of mine asked for them by special request! Sooooo I decided to only make 2 sets of them. I'll be listing the other set within the next 24 hours :)

Also, I made some cute badges for her daughter for a trip they are going on.

Cute Cute!

xoxo

Uhhhhh....

2011-03-23T11:12:00.001-05:00

So yea... While most of you are enjoying your nice spring weather.. and wearing shorts and flip-flops, I am currently snowed in. We had a huge blizzard last night that will continue on to today. For the moment it has taken a nap and whilst doing so I had my hubby go take a few pics. I had this GENIUS plan to strategically park all the cars in the driveway thinking (because I am so innovative) that the snow would blow right over the top of them. Fantastic thought right? WRONG!!!!! Now all 3... truck, SUV and car have to be dug out and along with that there is several feet of snow in random places from falling in between cars etc... Lesson Learned!! I guess that's what I get for laughing last night and saying "I'll be drinking coffee and watching neighbors shovel while mine is free and clear because I'm a GENIUS!" HAHA nice..

Oh and special thank you to the snow plow that made a wall of snow at the end of our driveway.

Oh, and sorry about your car Val.... I'll dig it one day....hehe

Also I would like to say that this is the longest break I've had from blogging. I have been taking care of my little one who got pneumonia again for the second time and been decluttering like mad. Hopefully I'll be back with a vengeance and blogging every day. We shall see!!! I have lots to catch up on :)

xoxo

I'm Alive...

2011-03-11T11:31:00.001-06:00

[source]

This week I've been super busy with a complete house de-clutter/cleaning. I went a little crazy trying to get rid of things we don't need anymore. I sold a ton of it on the local yard sale FB page and made over $500!!! YAY!!! I love the feeling I get when I see more space and less crap around the house! ha! Besides cleaning my hubby took off this week for a stay-cation. All we've been doing is lounging around the house, cuddling, watching movies and stuffing our faces. Best kind of vacation right?

Last night I invested in Photoshop Elements and I'm still in the process of trying to learn it. I tried to get some photo effects from some cute sites and can't figure out how to put them into my Photoshop. It's driving me nuts!! I keep getting errors... BOOOOO! So this weekend I will be immersed in lots of reading and begging my photoshop friends to helllpppp me! I hope everyone has a super fantabulous great weekend!!

xoxo

New Badge Line

2011-03-06T18:57:00.000-06:00

I got a really neat custom order a few weeks back and had to share! A customer of mine had a great idea for reward badges for accomplishing chores. So after she told me what 14 accomplishments I sent her sketches and got started. Here are just a few of the badges I made for her son :)

Packing a backpack

Comes with a removable book

Tying shoes

Packing a suitcase

Making a bed, complete with poofy pillow

Washing clothes

Big Boy underwear

Cleaning up toys, toys are removable too

I had so much fun making these badges. Taking on new challenges keeps me inspired and happy :)

xoxo

Be Fabulous!

2011-03-03T11:55:00.000-06:00

Here is the very first shoot I did. Looks very catalog :) My favorite pic of course, is me with my camera!

Photographer- Nelly Hernandez

Be back later, going to enjoy lunch with some fabulous girls :)

xoxo

Be Fierce!

2011-03-01T17:20:00.001-06:00

I had some pretty amazing photoshoots within the past week. I had the best Photographer, Make-up artist and Hair Stylist!! I had to share a few sneak peeks. I have never felt as beautiful as I did during this shoot!! I will be posting lots more over the next week or so :) I can not get over how amazing the photos came out! Eeeek! We were going for the high fashion look, aka no smiles only fierceness :)

Click photos to see the bigger pic!

Ok, here is me getting Make-up done :)

And here are the amazing pics!!

Photographer- Nelly Hernandez

Make-up Artist-Sieda Jones

Hair Stylist-Valeria Casillas

I'll be back soon with my catalog (ish) look :) Lots of smiles :)

xoxo

Winner!!

2011-02-28T21:53:00.000-06:00

So the winner of Laura's Giveaway is...... *drumroll*

Congrats Jolene!! Send me an e-mail (Mezmerized814@aol.com) and I can get your goodies sent off to you!

P.S Tomorrow's post you won't want to miss!!! I've been doing some modeling lately and have lots of pics to share :) Eeeeeek!

Ray of Sunshine Sponsor Giveaway

2011-02-24T10:56:00.001-06:00

Laura from a Ray of Sunshine is a super sweet and crafty girl. I've known her for quite awhile and she is a great friend! She is giving away a t-shirt and bow to one lucky Pixies and Bears reader!

**Also for everyone who enters, they get 25% off their Etsy order by entering code ARAYOFSUNSHINE7

You can visit her Blog HERE and Shop HERE

~Size: Large

100% cotton... flowers are hand-cut and hand-sewn

This shirt is extremely comfortable and is fitted.

Care: machine wash with delicates inside out, if possible hand wash.

~Yellow Polka dot hair bow w/yellow center tie 4.5" wide. Your choice of an alligator clip or french barrette

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post! A winner will be picked Tuesday, March 1st!

Good luck!!

xoxo

Trip to the ER

2011-02-23T11:13:00.001-06:00

[source]

The past 48 hours has been pretty crazy in our house. Monday Kaylee woke up at 3 am with a high fever and a bad cough. We got her some meds and was hoping it would pass.... Well we went to bed that night and poor thing couldn't sleep, fever spiked again and I knew we needed to bring her in. We sat in the Emergency Room for what seems like eternity when in all reality it may have been 2 hours. The doctor came in and said she has pneumonia. I was worried they would admit her but they let us bring all the meds home and take care of her here.

So right now we are submersed in meds, fluids, vicks, cool mist vaporizers, Yo Gabba Gabba and big brown eyes. Her fever is sitting at 102.6 right now.

What could I use? A healthy Kaylee and maybe an IV pumping Starbucks straight into my veins... K thanks! :)

xoxo

P.S. I'll post a giveaway tomorrow. Also, I'll be sending off the winners prizes this week!!

And the Winners are....

2011-02-21T19:44:00.000-06:00

[source]

Winner 1- Hello Kitty Hat

Stephanie :)

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Winner 2- Custom Monster Plushie

Taryn

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Winner 3- Nioi lip butter, EZ butter and soap

Haley

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Winner 4- Garlands and clutch

Jenny Bean

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Winner 5- Infinity Scarf Cowl

Carrie Lynn

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Winner 6- Headbands and Hairclips

Courtney

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Winner 7- Journal

Mandy Dietering

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Winner 8- Hair accessories

Cuppy

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Winner 9- Scrapbook Supplies

Kendra Smith

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Winner 10- Teacups

Tiffany

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Winners, Please e-mail me ( Mezmerized814@aol.com ) with your address so I can send off all your prizes!!

Thanks everyone for participating.. I'll be hosting another giveaway in a few days so check back!

xoxo

Craft Fair!

2011-02-20T20:54:00.000-06:00

So I have been slacking on putting this post up.. oops!

A few weekends ago we had the Valentine's Craft fair, it was amazing and there were so many talented vendors that showed up along with a great turnout!

Here are some pics!!

xoxo

P.S Don't forget about the giveaway! I'll be picking a winner tomorrow!

Click Here to enter!

Don't Forget!!

2011-02-18T11:22:00.002-06:00

Only a few more days left for the Giveaway!!!!

Click Here to sign up!!!!

xoxo

Lots of New!!!

2011-02-16T15:51:00.001-06:00

Lots of new stuff in the shop!!! Here is a peek at what you can find :)

Plus SOOOO Much more!!!

You can click HERE to check it all out!! :)

xoxo

P.S Don't forget to sign up for the HUGE giveaway a few posts down!!! :)

March Sponsor Spots!

2011-02-15T11:39:00.002-06:00

March Sponsor Spots are now available! Sponsoring Pixies and Bears is a great way to advertise your shop or blog and receive lots of exposure.

All buttons are shuffled mid-month to provide maximum exposure. Blog buttons will be shown on the right side bar.

Medium Sponsor Spot Button Size (150x50) $10

Large Sponsor Spot Button Size (150x200) $15

Large Ad Spots are also available. When purchasing a Large Ad Spot you will get a feature post sometime during the month of March. A Coupon Code or Giveaway is recommended with your feature post, but not required.

If you would like to purchase a Sponsor Spot click here

(more details on the listings)

xoxo

P.S Don't forget about the HUGE giveaway below this post!!! :)

Giveaway Time!!!

2011-02-14T09:42:00.001-06:00

It's been a long time coming! I can't remember the last time I had a giveaway so I figure what's better than one on Love Day? and... one with 10 winners!!!!! EEEK!!!

Let's get started!!!

Winner 1

This gorgeous crocheted Hello Kitty Hat made by Val from StinkerDoodles (can you tell she had fun modeling it for me?)

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Winner 2

Your very own monster. You get to pick colors/name and gender :) Made by ME :)

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Lots of pampering goodies from Sandi of Nioi. 4 lip butters, soap and the newest discovery of amazingness.... EZ butter... butter for your whole body!!

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Winner 4

Beautiful garlands and a cute clutch from Valerie at Pareltje

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Winner 5

A chunky Infinity Scarf Cowl made by Tiffany from thatgirl1223

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Winner 6

Pretty headbands with interchangeable hair-clips from Val at Stinkerdoodles

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Winner 7

An up-cycled Moleskine journal covered in pretty fabric and felt made by ME :)

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Winner 8

Pretty hair accessories made by Valerie of Bloempjes

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Winner 9

Lots of scrapbook goodies and a felt cozy cover for your pen

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Winner 10

Pretty thrift store tea cup finds from Val

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Entry Guidelines!!!!

Required ** Comment on this post- 1 entry

For *Extra* entries (not required but gives you more chances to win win win!!)

**Become or be an existing blog follower via Google Reader - 1 entry

**Tweet this giveaway- 2 entries

**Blog about this giveaway- 4 entries

**Facebook status this giveaway- 3 entries

(that's 10 extra entries!!!)

Make sure to leave separate comments for each, along with links so they will be counted!!

Winner will be picked next Monday, February 21st!!

xoxo

I Love you Deerly

2011-02-11T20:05:00.001-06:00

Ok so here is my day summed up....

Woke up at 8am, got 6 bags/boxes together for the craft fair tomorrow and the sleepover at Val's (our monthly girls night for doing so great at the gym).

At 9am, Val came over and I convinced her to go to Starbucks with me... on the way to Starbucks we saw a frozen deer on the side of the road and thought it would be a great idea for a photoshoot (we have a distorted sense of humor).

At 9:30am we pull to Starbucks and I order a Venti Java Chip Frap with extra chips (thought my readers should know).

Then we went back to Val's, cleaned and set up our booths, Sandi came over and we all had girl talk. Our tummies started growling so we headed to Taco Bell. We slammed our faces into chalupas and cheesy fiesta potatoes while watching the best Jersey Shore episode I've seen all season!!!

We waited for Joseph to get home and rode out to the frozen Deer Popsicle. Here is what ensued.... yes, we took pics with roadkill...

Cheerfully skipping back to the car, we high fived ourselves on our little adventure. After about .05 seconds we realized, we were in fact... stuck.. in snow... Now we feel like giant A-holes. Deer Karma anyone?

After about 5 minutes, 2 cars pulled over to rescue the damsels in distress. (keep in mind, 2 cops, 1 firetruck, and 2 ambulances passed us...) After about 25 minutes we finally got rammed in the rear by one of the vehicles and got out... yay..

ok, If you made it all the way through my story, congratulations!!!

OH, HUGE giveaway happening on Monday with 10 winners!!!!!! It's the best one yet!!! Don't forget to check back!!

xoxo

Oh My Cute!!

2011-02-08T14:48:00.000-06:00

So a friend of mine and I were browsing blogs online and she told me about this adorable entertainment center that was recycled into the cutest kids kitchen. We went to HeyDay Living and I was in awe by all the cuteness!!!! If you haven't seen this blog yet, you should go check it out!! She has the cutest DIY's! Here is the entertainment center turned kitchen :) Cuter than ANY play kitchen I have come across.

You can check out her blog HERE!

xoxo

Food Party!!

2011-02-07T13:46:00.000-06:00

Some people watch the Superbowl for the football, while others watch for commercials and then there are a few that just use the Superbowl as an excuse to get their munch on. I happen to be the one who uses it for the food and maybe some commercials. My poor husband ended up having to watch the Superbowl with 3 ladies and I'm sure was less than pleased to hear all our chatter. So for 4 people we went all out with our most favorite foods!!

Chips and salsa from Mi Mexico, guacamole and Spinach dip

The Works and pineapple/pepperoni pizza from Papa Johns, and 72 boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings

A TON of ranch, Jarritos (Mexican soda), rice krispie treats and yummy marshmallow/nut brownies

Reason #1 why I woke up extra early to go to the gym today (and maybe something to do with all the Chinese food I ate this weekend too) eeeek!

Do you watch the Superbowl? Or the commercials? or just go for the food? or do you skip it all together?

xoxo

My Saturday consists of...

2011-02-05T17:54:00.000-06:00

Java Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks

Pedicure with one of my favorite people in the world, Val (I got a sexy red color in time for Love Day)

Chinese food for lunch

Shopping for a surround sound (yay for tax refunds)

a nap

More Chinese food

a little movie time with friends and family

Great Saturday :)

Can't wait for the Superbowl tomorrow. Not because of football, but because that means I get to pig out on a ton of yummy food. I will take a picture of the huge smorgasbord of food else no one will believe me ...

xoxo

Welcome February Sponsors!!

2011-02-02T16:55:00.001-06:00

[source]

Please check out all the fabulous Sponsors for this month! There are several amazing Etsy shops and blog links on my right sidebar you must see!!! Thanks so much to all my sponsors this month! Many features coming soon.... ANDDDDDD a HUGE Giveaway that will have 10 winners!! :) More to come soon!

xoxo

Molly Mayhem

2011-01-31T16:32:00.002-06:00

In honor of Valentine's Day and being in a complete plushie making mode, I made Molly. She is my first girl monster, Valentine's edition. Isn't she a cutie? Notice the glitter nails and cute bow! She wouldn't harm a fly :)

Of course she comes complete with a heart on her booty :)

xoxo

Let's Talk....

2011-01-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

about bullying. First let's set the scene...

Me in my pj's, hair in a mess, barely awake enough to move from the couch to the bed to watch my son Hayden off to school. I noticed as I was feeding my fish on Happy Aquarium one of those feelings that make you turn your head...

I looked out the window and saw 3 boys all about 3 years older than my son grabbing each of his limbs pulling the opposite way. Yes you read correctly. One had his arm, one had the other arm and one had a leg. I glance around and notice all the snow and ice around and immediately think of the worst possible outcome of this situation. (Need I go back to winter of 09' that we like to call the Bloody massacre? I'll share that one later) Now as most moms who read this, will understand I immediately turned into a roaring lion who would have rammed itself out of my bay window... but since my husband was standing in the near vicinity I started yelling (maybe screaming) for his assistance. He then ran outside to yell (and the boys proceeded to run away) and make sure our son was ok. Hayden nodded and turned back to the bus stop because the bus was then pulling up to take the demon boys and my little angel to school (he is a soldier what can I say).

I then looked to my left (still from the couch, it's cold people and I'm half naked) and noticed there is a mom standing 10 feet away with her child who ignored this entire act of bullying..... seriously? Are we so blind we can't stick up for a child 10 feet away?

I turned my head in disgust and made a mental note of the neighbor who will not be getting my delicious baked good this year. Later when Hayden got home from school we talked to him to see what had happened. He said the boys were being mean and wouldn't let him go and were trying to throw him potato sack style.... Nice....

As irony occurs more often in my life then I would like it.. I was driving home from a tea party with my friend Valerie the same day (when I was dressed this time) and we came upon 2 boys throwing a smaller boy onto the ice. I of course, still steaming from the morning incident, put on the brakes and rolled down my window. I then demanded to know what the heck the boys thought they were doing.. Looking at me like doe in headlights, I then jumped out of my car (after I put it in park of course) and walked over to the small boy still laying on the slab of ice. I made sure he was ok and unharmed, I then made the 2 older boys (all of which came from the middle school) help the boy up and then apologize. I lectured them about bullying and told them I would be calling parents if I saw it again. The small boy was ok thankfully.

The whole situation still gets my blood boiling. I can promise you, my readers that I, as a parent will do everything in my power... every ounce of my body to make sure my children will never bully other kids.

Be an advocate for children. Please talk to them about being kind to others and help put a stop to bullying. That is all.

xoxo

Limited Edition Badges!!!

2011-01-25T18:15:00.001-06:00

are now in the shop!! I only made a few because I'm still in the process of getting ready for the Valentine's Craft Fair next month. Scoop them up while they are still available!

Click Here :)

xoxo

Exciting News!!

2011-01-23T14:17:00.001-06:00

My friend Val gave me the best idea a few days ago and I had to share it!! Literally!! She gave me this gorgeous Kimono she bought from Japan when she lived there a few years back. I will be cutting it (very carefully) and making limited edition fawns out of it!! EEEEEK!!! They are going to be GORGEOUS!! I'll have a few listed in my shop within a few weeks. Each will be unique and very special (and very limited) since the materials are coming from Japan!

Here are some close-ups of the gorgeous fabric. It's made out of silk!

In other news... I just got in a TON of lip butter for Pixies and Bears customers who buy badges or plushies. Sandi custom labeled them for me and gave me lots of yummy flavors...

They come in:

Ooey Gooey Caramel

Coconut

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Frozen Green Tea

Coconut Milk and Peaches

I'll be throwing in 2 to each Pixies and Bears customer!! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

xoxo

Whew!!!

2011-01-20T19:58:00.001-06:00

I have put a huge dent into my to do list!! Since Saturday I have made.....

-3 fawn plushies

-1 fox plushie

-2 elephant plushies

-1 whale plushie

Hopefully tomorrow I can finish a bulk order of badges + 1 custom badge and start gathering materials for my Valentine's Day Line of badges. I feel so productive!!

In other good news... Kaylee and Joseph are now home!! They missed their connecting flight so they didn't arrive until 1pm today. We got home and all passed out for 6 hours! Tonight will be filled with Sloppy Joes, sweet potato fries and Inception. Sounds like a great Thursday night to me! :D

xoxo

P.S Isn't weird to have a post without a picture? ahwell....

February Sponsor Spots!!

2011-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

ARE UP!!!!!

You can grab them here!!

xoxo

Sparkly!

2011-01-17T20:27:00.001-06:00

My new sparkly garland is all hung up nicely!! Thanks so much Valerie!! It's gorgeous! :) Not only did she make it, but she delivered and installed it for me too :) It's hard to tell in the pics, but it's glittery. Matches the weather perfectly!

xoxo

P.S Sorry for the bad lighting, my room has 0 light.... And yes I'm aware my curtain rod is leaning, that's what happens when you have monkeys (my kids) running around your house...

Productive = Great

2011-01-16T21:27:00.002-06:00

[source]

I'm trying not to think of it too much, but my little nugget and hubs flew to North Carolina on Thursday. I've been keeping mad busy so I don't dwell on it much. They come back in 4 days and this will be officially the longest I've ever been away from my daughter. They are having lots of fun visiting family and I've been getting ready for the Valentine's Craft Show happening next month. I just finished my second fawn (craft dates with Val are awesome!) in 2 days and they are gorgeous!!! I will post pics of them all once I'm done.

My Checklist (&goals):

4 fawns

2 foxes

3 elephants

2 monsters

1 whale

15 badges including 8 new ones I'll be putting in the shop (limited edition!!!!)

2 journals

My goal is to get all of this done by Feb 1st so I can be extra prepared! In other news Valerie came by and hung a new and gorgeous garland in front of my living room window today! I'll be posting pics of it tomorrow :) Off to bed!

xoxo

Triple F

2011-01-13T08:00:00.001-06:00

That's what me and Valeria call ourselves.. It stands for Fit, Fierce and FABULOUS!! We have been recently addicted to the gym. A way to get our fit on! We started at the beginning of December and have been hooked! I even drew out a workout sheet with little stick figures mimicking the exercises.. I'll have to post it one day, it's quite funny.

I had a lot of reasons for getting back into the gym world. One being because I gained 20 pounds when Joseph was deployed.. Yes, you heard that right, 20 pounds in 6 months. Slightly embarrassing I have to admit. I guess I was stocking up for winter.

BUT.. I am happy to say I started dieting (beginning of November) and working out like crazy the past month and a half and have lost 21 pounds!! I weigh a pound less then I did when he left!! YAY!!!! *pats self on back*

I have been missing my sweets like crazy and it does get really tough seeing all the yummy food out there. Me and Val do have celebration nights once a month where we completely pig out.. Usually 50 wings from Buffalo Wild Wings and chips and Salsa from Mi Mexico.. and maybe some Pomegranate Mike's Hard Lemonade (shhhh). I think it's important to reward yourself or it gets easy to stray.

I have to admit, it's so much easier to work out with a partner, It's great motivation and a way to push yourself. To reward myself after the first month I splurged on cute VS yoga pants and some Sketchers Shape-ups... Let's admit it, so much easier to work out when your in cute pants and pretty shoes. Oh, such a girl. (and no I do not do my make-up and hair before going to the gym...even though I have considered it recently)

yoga pants I got in mint, black and white (no this isn't me, LOL)

My pretty shoes

I guess the point of this post is to be a bit more personal and share something that I have been working on. Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far!! :)

xoxo

Sponsor Feature- Fine & Feathered

2011-01-12T08:00:00.007-06:00

Hi there:) I'm Josie from Fine&Feathered. I'm a twenty something girl who's obsessed with fashion, photography, and just basically any and all pretty things which is what my blog is all about. When I'm not blogging I'm a visual manager for a major retailer and working on my little Etsy Shop.

I've been a fashion addict since I was young, always obsessivly pouring over the latest issues of Harpars Bazaar and Vogue. So back in college I started making jewelry and opened my Etsy shop LittleIndian. This fall I added vintage clothing to the shop as vintage has always been a love of mine. I'm in the process of putting together a photoshoot for the spring collection which is inspired by boyscouts and indians - I can't wait until it all comes together!

My biggest goal for 2011 is learning to sew clothes on my gorgeous new sewing machine that my handsome guy got me for christmas. I'm also resolving to clean the dust off my many old film cameras and take tons of photos this year as well as just plain blogging a whole lot more!

A random little fact about me is that I love feathers and feathered things! I grew up with a countless number of animals including my dearest pet goose, several cockatiels and a pair of wild birds I saved when I was quite young. I particularily love feather earrings and a lovely gold feather bracelet I got as a christmas gift!

You can follow my on my blog, Fine&Feathered, shop my Etsy, catch me lurking on pinterest and follow my quite often silly and always pointless tweets!

Thank you so much for the awesome feature Josie!! Go check out her shop and blog ladies! It's full of amazing fashion!!

xoxo

Winner!!!

2011-01-10T19:03:00.001-06:00

Since my husband's laptop is being lame, I can't screeenshot... but the winner of Campfire Chic's Sponsor spot is.......

The Perfect Pear!!! YAY and CONGRATS!!!!!!

Send me an e-mail at Mezmerized814@aol.com and I'll get Kam in touch with you!

I'll be back tommorow with an addiction I can't get enough of! Stay tuned!! :D

Sponsor Feature (Campfire Chic) + GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-01-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm Kam of Campfire Chic and I am a 24-year-old crafter who enjoys being outdoors. I live in Orange County, California with my Boyfriend, a few cats, and a dog. I enjoy exploring neighboring cities, the little bit of wilderness we have within driving distance, and spending an entire day reading a good book. My desk is always a mess and I am constantly making lists...hopefully that's the sign of a productive life? Either way, I'm thrilled to be on the cusp of 25 and starting another exciting year by sponsoring Pixies and Bears for my third time!

I opened my Etsy shop, Campfire Chic, over the summer and I love it! I've learned so much about being a business owner, how to maximize my crafting time, and about the wonderful blogging community! I love hearing from buyers that they read my blog or follow me on twitter, it's an amazing feeling. My shop is filled with a few different things: cross-stitch and embroidery patterns, embroidery kits, finished pieces, and notebooks! I also tend to carry some craft supplies if I'm able to get my hands on a great deal (my first sale was some great cloth ribbon!). I get excited whenever I find or create something that would be perfect for my shop.

Since this is January, I expect you're ready to hear some of my goals for 2011. Here they are:

**Reach 200 Etsy sales

**Hike Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the lower 48 states)

**Read 10 books

**Continue to support other handmade shops (like Pixies and Bears!)

Where you can find me:

Etsy Shop

Campfire Chic's Blog

Follow me on Twitter

Facebook Fan Page

A random fact about myself is that I'm obsessed with checking in on Foursquare! I currently hold 7 mayorships including my local post office, the gas station on the way to the post office, a campground, and one of my favorite used book stores :) Three more mayorships and I get the Super Mayor badge ;)

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

I'd like to give away a 100x100 sponsor spot on my blog (with all the benefits) for February to one lucky reader :)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post! Winner will be picked by Lindsay on Monday night!!

(January 6th)

I Hate Using My Brain

2011-01-05T08:00:00.001-06:00

Ok so the name of my post has nothing to do with what this is about, but it's something funny that was said a few weeks ago that a certain someone won't let me live down ;P

So I decided to post one of my presents from Christmas since I haven't yet. One of my absolute favorites!! My glittery TOMS are the coolest ever!! just sayin'...

And YES I am outside (ok only halfway, the rest of my body was inside..oh what I'll do for cute pics...).

xoxo

A Little Reflection

2011-01-04T08:00:00.004-06:00

After seeing some goal reflection posts it made me curious to see how well I did in 2010. I was kinda surprised to see I finished most of my goals *cheers*. I have to confess I totally forgot what most of my goals were so I came out pretty lucky. Keep in mind all of my goals were craft-based :) Everything in bold I completed!!

**Learn how to sew

**Learn how to embroider

**Make a quilt (2011 list possibly?)

**Learn to crochet

**Put my craft room together, as in paint it, get a table, organize obsessively and hang some inspirational work up (I rearranged and put together my craft room about 5 different times this year)

(this pic is old, I don't have those prints above the cubby anymore, I have a fantastic painting my friend Amy made me!!)

**Learn how to make adorable felt foods for my daughters kitchen (this is going to go on my 2011 list)

**Learn how to finger-knit

**Make something original, something no one has thought of yet. I am going to say my badges are pretty original, I hadn't seen anything like it until recently...

**Have every card and gift that I give next year be handmade (I 75% did this, so I'm going to count it!)

**Paint something on canvas

I'll be back soon with my 2011 goals :)

If you have any reflection posts I'd love to see them! Feel free to link them in the comments!! :)

xoxo

Sponsor Feature- Curious Pug

2011-01-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

My name is Alycia and I live in California with my husband and pug. I work as an xray tech at a nearby hospital and I love to work with felt, embroidery, and I just started learning how to crochet :) I also like to play in Photoshop and on my blog thecuriouspug.com

My shop is currently empty and in the process of being restocked, but I sell my little felt creations. I make ipod cases, brooches and pin cushions. I opened my shop in November 2009 as a way to keep busy while I was looking for an xray job. 10 months later I finally found one (part time) and closed my shop since I couldn't make it to the post office. But now I can ship from home since I bought a little postal scale.

My main goal for 2011 is to find a full time job, which are hard to come by. But I made a list, "30 before 30" of things I'd like to accomplish before I turn 30 here.

Shop

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Random fact:
I can pick just about anything up off the floor with my toes haha.

Everyone go check out her cute blog!! I've been a long time reader and love all the cute DIY's and felt plushies she makes. The poptart Ipod cozy is my favorite!! Thanks Alycia!!

xoxo

Cutie of the Week :)

2010-12-31T08:00:00.001-06:00

My sister and my Princess

My little milk face :)

xoxo

P.S Don't forget!! Sponsor spots are still available here :D

Because She Begged....

2010-12-30T08:00:00.004-06:00

I noticed I haven't taken any pictures of myself in months!!! So after my sister begged me for days I finally gave in and did a mini-shoot with her. The hubby took the pictures and after me and Amanda went through and deleted hundreds of pictures we finally agreed upon a few of our favorites. So here ya go!!!!

P.S. It's good to know I'm not the only girl who is very critical of her pictures. After hundreds I only manage to find a few I like... Craziness!!

xoxo

Christmas Surprise!!!!! [Video]

2010-12-29T08:00:00.002-06:00

I especially love what he says at the end :)

xoxo

Christmas Recap

2010-12-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

I won't put all 400 pics on my post to save you from absolute boredom. So I promise to only post a few :) Here are some of my favs!

They loved their new table :)

Can you tell he was excited?

Hayden got the coolest Fathead for his wall, it looks so real!! and it's HUGE!!

My friend Val made the cutest hats for the kids, I will have a feature about her awesome crochet skills very soon, so keep a lookout!!

Sock Monkey with a mohawk!! eeeek!!

I also had my friend Sophie make Joseph his very own Sackboy, from our favorite family game :)

Hope everyone had an awesome holiday!! I'll be posting some of my goodies soon!!

OH!! keep a lookout for a funny surprise video :)

xoxo

Creeper of the Week

2010-12-27T08:00:00.002-06:00

And the creeper of the week award goes to......

*drumroll*

Me and my sister were super bored taking self portraits and lookie what we found in the background of one of our photos...... My HUSBAND...nice Joseph...

haha!!

xoxo

It's NOT Too Late!!!!

2010-12-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

[source]

I still have some sponsor spots available for purchase!!! Don't forget if you purchase a January Spot you automatically get February FREE!!!!

Click here to purchase your sponsor spot and get all the details :)

xoxo

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

Wishing all of my awesome readers a very Merry Christmas! I will be back later with a few of our family holiday pictures :) Until then, here is some Christmas eye candy for you!

[Source]

xoxo

Ghetto Sledding

2010-12-22T18:21:00.001-06:00

I have lived in North Dakota for 3 years and have just now gotten around to sledding. Because we are fabulous and do not own a sled we made use of the top of Kaylee's toy box. Hey, it's on the floor, not being used all the time anyway, why not? First time I went sledding I went down the back porch stairs and Joseph took an instax photo of it to add to my goal book. I'll share those pics later (this means I'm too lazy to scan them right now) :) For now you get to see our little adventure in pics!!

Kaylee getting all suited up :)

Obviously she hates the cold, oh that look!!

Hayden and Joseph using the toy box lid to go down a snow hill... Hayden loved it!!

Kaylee's turn....

She did NOT love it...

Kaylee and Aunt "mana"

The boys stayed out for hours while the girls went in and got warm!

xoxo

P.S look what I found and of course stocked up on....MMMMMM

Have You Ever?

2010-12-20T16:24:00.001-06:00

[source]

Have you ever gotten a letter that really touched your heart? I received the sweetest snail mail letter from a blog friend. It seemed to come at the most perfect time. I asked her if she minded if I shared it with my readers and she said it was fine. So here is the sweet letter that made my week!

Hi there!

How are you doing? It's very grey outside and a chilly 40 degrees outside. I am distracting myself by looking at extremely overpriced dresses. You know how we do.

Anyway, I just wanted to write and tell you how amazing you are...in lieu of a Christmas card. "Cause "Happy Holiday" doesn't sum up everything I have to tell you.

Okay, I know that sounds soppy and this letter is not supposed to be a goop-fest, but it's true and I wanted to remind you. Especially because I know you're stressed out right now. So this is a, "Hello, you're wonderful!" wake-up call.

I'm really proud of how far you've come this year. No year is perfect...I know 2010 has been difficult. It was hard on me too. We all had some crushing lows and our fair amount of anguish, but despite all that, I think you've done really well. Remember the start of the year and how unsure you were about everything? This year has had so many moments of sickening instability but you have shown yourself to be a big glittering diamond every time. Every time!

Look at everything you've done! You have changed so many things about your life for the better. You've adopted new and more empowering attitudes, cut negative people from your life and achieved heaps.

Honestly, when you think about how you felt this time last year and contrast that to how your life looks today, you will realize how well you've done. It has been magnificent to watch. You are so much stronger than you think you are. 2010 has been a testament to that.

I'm glad you didn't let people get you down this year. I know that sometimes people said or did things which shook your confidence and made you feel like you were walking a wobbly tight-rope, but I think you overcame it SO well. You haven't let it shake your confidence in humankind and that is really beautiful.

My favorite thing about you is that you are living life YOUR way and doing the best you can. Your story is your own. You don't allow other people to persuade you to give up your dreams. You have a shining vision for the future and you're making little steps there every day. You don't allow people who "don't understand" to get you down, you just leave them behind in your glorious wake. You have faith that they'll catch up when the time is right. It is so awesome and delicious.

I think that when you are doing important things, the universe will throw challenges at you to see how serious you are. If you give up, it obviously didn't mean that much to you. The universe will give your dream to someone else. But you haven't given up. You keep forging ahead. You are so lionhearted and full of love and hope.

Brave love warrior. dream architect. infatuation queen. disco menace. psychedelic ghoul. bunnyhead genius. You are all of these things and so much more.

You are such an inspiration to me and everyone around you! We are so glad you are here. You make us really happy.

I love you so much. Stay golden!

Love letters and feather headdresses,

Danielle

Now I have a challenge for you!!!! I challenge YOU to write a sweet "love letter" to anyone... it can be a friend, blog buddy or family member or if your feeling really froggy it can be to a complete stranger randomly in the phone book. Just a little something about what they mean to you or maybe something uplifting to bring joy to their day. You will feel so good writing, addressing and putting it in the post and I'm sure they will feel the same reading it :)

Love you readers!!!!!

xoxo

DIY- Pumpkin Seed Flower Ornament- by Perfect Pear

2010-12-19T15:15:00.000-06:00

hello everyone! my name is Lauren, from The Perfect Pear! I'm beyond happy to be blogging here at Pixies and Bears!

When i was just a little one i made these ornaments for Christmas! This adorable DIY has definitely stuck with me, it so pretty and I hope you'll like it!

look how pretty is it!

You'll Need: Some unsalted pumpkin seeds, popcorn kernels, scissors, red paint (or any other color), ribbon, paper, hot glue gun and (optional*) white glue and glitter

1: Start by cutting out a circle from paper, this will be about the size of your flower. I like to put another circle in the middle as a guide for my seeds

2: Glue your seeds down, make sure the outer edge, roughly lines up.

3: Keep going around until you get to here (see below.)

4: Get your paint out and pretty it up!

5: Once its dry glue a few kernels smack in the middle!

6: This step is optional, but it really makes it sparkle (literally)! Add some Elmer's glue around the edges.

7: Add your glitter!

8: Glue some ribbon down to the back.

xoxo

Lauren

p.s. come visit my blog, for TONS more DIY projects! made this? send me pictures!

p.p.s. thanks Lindsay for letting me guest blog! i had so much fun making this!

♥

Early Christmas Present....to my Sponsors!

2010-12-17T13:03:00.000-06:00

Anyone who purchases a January Sponsor spot will get a February Sponsor spot FREE!!! Yep!! You heard correctly!! I'm also putting sponsor spots up a bit early! The day after Christmas, anyone who purchased a spot will be up a week early :)

You can purchase your spot HERE!

Happy Holidays!!!

xoxo

P.S I'll be back later with a snail mail letter that made my month!!!

Love Birds

2010-12-16T13:43:00.008-06:00

I finally got around to taking pictures of my Love Birds painting. My second piece of artwork from Wendy. Eeeek!! I love it!!! I rearranged my craft wall a bit so it's less cluttered. Now I just need to have a case made for my Momiji's so they aren't all squished on my shelf!! I'm so in love with my craft studio right now!!!!

xoxo

P.S I have an early Christmas present for whoever buys a January Sponsor spot from my shop :) I'll be announcing more details tomorrow!!!

P.S.S I noticed I haven't had a giveaway in awhile... so, there might possibly be a HUGE one in store for my lovely readers very soon!!!

Newest Addition...

2010-12-14T15:54:00.001-06:00

to my "little" Momiji collection is Chiyo. I knew the second I saw her, I had to have her. There was only 125 being sold so I got up early and snagged her before I missed out. She is officially my favorite!!! EEk!!! :) I think this puts my collection up to 63 Momiji's now!!! Wow!!

I'm still trying to think of a cute photoshoot to put all of them in... suggestions??

xoxo

January Sponsor Spots

2010-12-13T14:49:00.004-06:00

January Sponsor Spots are now available! Sponsoring Pixies and Bears is a great way to advertise your shop or blog and receive lots of exposure and followers.

All buttons are shuffled mid-month to provide maximum exposure. Blog buttons will be shown on the right side bar.

Medium Sponsor Spot Button Size (150x50) $10

Large Sponsor Spot Button Size (150x200) $15

Large Ad Spots are also available. When purchasing a Large Ad Spot you will get a feature post sometime during the month of January. A Coupon Code or Giveaway is recommended with your feature post, but not required.

If you would like to purchase a Sponsor Spot click here :)

(more details on the listings)

xoxo

My First Gig

2010-12-10T17:00:00.002-06:00

I was honored to be asked to do a photo session with my friend Val and her lil bean Phoenix. Let's be honest, I was nervous, I am still getting to know my camera and wanted Val to absolutely LOVE the pictures. Everything went perfect!!! I took around 300+ photos and 244 were perfect. Here are some of my favorites.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll share some of the photo shoot I did with my sister soon :)

xoxo

P.S It's chicken fajita night. Happy Friday!

It's Glittering Outside

2010-12-07T16:59:00.000-06:00

As some of you know, I am not a fan of being cold, nor do I much care for shoveling heaps of cold things daily.... just so I can get in and out of my driveway. One thing I do love however is the way snow sits on the trees and makes everything so pretty and white. Yesterday Joseph called me to the backdoor to show me how gorgeous it was outside, so I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures. I didn't go outside, I stayed in the comfort of my heated house and stood at the backdoor. I am loving how gorgeous my pictures are looking and I learn something new everyday with my new Nikon.

Today I went on my very first photo shoot gig and took some gorgeous pics of my friend Val and her lil bean Pheonix. I love the way they turned out and I have about 224 to edit... Eeeek!!! :)

xoxo,

Lindsay

P.S I officially renamed snow to glitter... (you know because when the sun hits it the right way it glitters, ahhh breathtaking!!!)

So... It's 'GLITTERING' outside :)

Extreme Cuteness

2010-12-05T17:09:00.001-06:00

I've had these pictures on the computer for a few weeks but kept forgetting to post them. This is a dress Joseph bought Kaylee for her birthday. Cute right? She was wearing the silk pants and just wanted to run in it. I got 1 picture of her standing still (which in hindsight I think she was preparing to run again) and the rest are of her running :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I was busy with orders and lots of movie watching. Speaking of movies.... Monsters wasn't very good and Paranormal Activity 2 gave me a few jumpy moments but it was nothing like the first (I couldn't sleep for a week from that one). We also watched Sex and the City 2 and She's Outta My League, both we so-so. Saturday I went to the salon for some beautifying. After, me and the hubby had a snowball fight with the neighborhood kids, which was quite fun and maybe a bit unfair to those kids that were pegged by our awesomeness.... Kaylee still hates the snow and grimaces every time we go outside... HA!! Tuesday Joseph has to go back to work. The last 2 weeks have been great and we got to catch up from 6 months of not seeing each other :)

What did you do?

xoxo

NEW Monster Plushie!!

2010-12-02T16:47:00.001-06:00

So last weekend I started making Christmas presents for the kids. I knew already I was making Kaylee a fawn but I was completely stumped on what to make my 7 year old boy, Hayden. Then a light bulb came on!! He loves scary monsters and zombies so what would be better than a scary monster plushie?? So I started sketching up some ideas with the hubs and started stitching him up!!

I love the way he turned out and his name is 'Krumm'. I Named after the monster in 'Aaaahhhh Real Monsters' (cartoon I used to watch when I was younger). So of course I set up a little photo-shoot like he was stomping through the city causing havoc and chaos. My zombie robot and the news reporter had to make an appearance to capture the proof that he exists! I hope Hayden loves him as much as I do :) I was thinking of making a few custom ones for the shop, if your interested let me know colors and such :)

xoxo

P.S For the next sale in my shop the lucky customer gets THIS added to their order :) Super cute sparkly star pins from this shop and some scrumdiddlyumptious lip butters from here (my favorite flavors)! Don't worry if you miss out, I'm still adding lots of cute gifts to every order until December 15th!

Happy Shopping :)

Shop Update!!!!!

2010-11-29T20:57:00.000-06:00

It has been way too long since my last shop update. This weekend I shook my tail feather and got to work on my Christmas/Seasonal Badges and love the way they turned out. I have slowly been adding new media to my badges. Acrylic paint, glitter glue, glitter paint, pom poms, bows and Snow-Tex are just a few of the things I have been working with recently :)

Here are the badges you can find in my shop!!

And a few ornaments :)

I may or may not be adding new designs to my ornaments this week depending on time.

AWESOME NEWS!! Any orders before December 15th get a FREE gift... hint hint lip butter :) Also, a few lucky customers may get something extra extra special as well :)

Happy Shopping!!!

Click HERE to go to my SHOP!!

xoxo

Week Recap

2010-11-27T11:27:00.001-06:00

This week has been incredible! Here are some of the highlights :)

[source]

**Me and Joseph went on a romantic date night *swoon*. We went to Seven's and had some steaks and shrimp, then we were a little adventurous... after we picked up the kids from the sitter, we came home and watched Nightmare on Elm Street. It was a magical night and it felt so good to get out and spend some alone time with Joseph.

**I finally got my computer back, virus-free and didn't lose any pictures.

**For Thanksgiving we went to Sandi's and hung out with friends, ate a TON of food and had lots of laughs. Thank you so much Sandi!!

**Lots of snuggle time, family time, movie time and pillow talk :)

I didn't participate in the craziness of Black Friday. I never have. I would prefer to sleep in and do all my shopping online, especially when it's 10 degrees outside. Speaking of Christmas shopping, we decided this year we are doing all handmade. Last year we went way overboard on Christmas and so this year we are doing the exact opposite. We are focusing more on family and creativeness.

In shop news, I've been working on my Christmas line of badges, ornaments and even (hopefully) a few plushies!! I'm very excited, it's time to get back into the swing of things and get motivated! With all the excitement around here lately, my shop has taken a back seat. Time to go into full swing again!

What did you do for Thanksgiving? Do you shop on Black Friday?

xoxo

Down for the Count

2010-11-24T11:35:00.004-06:00

One thing everyone should know about me is that I have the worst luck with computers. They never last longer than a year and they either reach their fatal death from liquid spills, bad motherboards or the occasional destructive virus. Well folks, exactly a year ago I bought my cute pink Sony Vaio and I'm sad to say it somehow got a virus on it.. *cough cough mom*. I think this reaches the total of 5 laptops and 1 desktop in a 6 year span. All hope is not lost though because I managed to do SOMETHING smart and get the Black Tie protection which happened to expire the day I got the virus...Lucky right? So I trekked my way to Best Buy and after getting heckled into putting 2 year Vi-spy and 2 years of Kapersky on my computer, along with a full wipe, it only cost 300$.... Only 300$???? Seriously, Lame! At least I backed up all my pictures!

So now I'm sharing the hubby's laptop until mine is back from the laptop "doctors". :) So if you see less posting, that's why... or maybe it's just because my hubby is home and I can't get enough of him :) I would assume the latter though....

xoxo

He's Home!!!!

2010-11-21T14:10:00.000-06:00

I thought this day would never get here! He arrived late last night and I have been on Cloud 9 since!! I've had butterflies in my tummy all day and I pretty much staple-gunned him to my side. ha! We rented a bunch of movies today so we can catch up on snuggle time. Ok, off to watch the race!! As soon as I figure out my self-timer there will be lots of mushy pics up! promises :) For now, here are a few pics I took this morning :)

Also, I want to thank all of my friends and family who supported me and were always checking up on me these past 6 months :) It means more to me than you will ever know!! Love you girls! :)

xoxo

Frustrated....no... PISSED

2010-11-18T13:37:00.000-06:00

(photo Source)

I would love to know whose genius idea it was to post the date and time when all the deployed soldiers are coming home.. You know... all over Facebook. To make matters worse, it was done on the public Air Force fan page, by the MODERATOR of the page!!! So what happened to security?? Don't these things need to be kept in secret?? So the soldiers who have been gone for 6 months, can have a SAFE return flight home. Now... everyone and their mama, who knows how to click the "like" on a FB fan page are able to get this information. My husband will be on this flight, I am sick to my stomach that I don't feel that security knowing he will be safe. Guess I know who to look for blame if anything happens to these men who have sacrificed everything to defend our country because someone had to announce this on a PUBLIC FACEBOOK page.

/end rant

New Art!!

2010-11-16T19:50:00.001-06:00

Some of you may recognize this painting from a previous post. The hubby surprised me with it and I absolutely LOVE it!!! It's even more beautiful in person. I have another on the way, which I will show later. I am absolutely smitten with Wendy's art! Joseph also sent me a mix C.D (I love mix c.d's!!) which he named "Lindsay's Booty Jams 2010" and a new Momiji (Sparkle). Love love!!!

On another note, this seems to be the longest week ever. I wish I had a dirty house, so I would at least have something to clean. Counting down the days to see my other half again :) Days please go by faster? deal?

xoxo

Conflicting Emotions

2010-11-14T11:49:00.000-06:00

This morning has been a giant emotional roller coaster. My mom left today and headed home. While we had an amazing time, I feel it went by way too fast. I hate that I live so far away from my family and that seeing them once a year (or longer) is the way it's going to be while living the military life. Thank goodness for Skype. I know this visit is what both of us really needed and I'm very thankful it worked out so she could come! When I came home after dropping her off at the airport, I cried like a baby. I already miss her like crazy! So sad she left, but there are things happening very soon to look forward too, and that's what I need to focus on.

Things that I'm looking forward too:

~Tea Party on Tuesday with some of my favorite girls

~Joseph coming home from 6 month deployment in less than a week

~Date Night

~Thanksgiving

~Christmas

Please pray for safe trips for my mom and hubby to arrive safely home :)

xoxo

My First Shots

2010-11-12T19:40:00.001-06:00

These are the very first pictures I took with my new Nikon. I didn't edit them in anyway. The Black and White was done on the camera. I am so in love with it!! I have so much to learn still and I'm still going through the manual. I know I want to get a macro lens for sure.

If anyone has any fun tips please feel free to tell me!!! :)

xoxo

P.S I got my camera bag in today and it's even cuter in person!! Jo Totes is highly recommended for anyone looking for a great quality and cushioned bag :)

Missy-Black

2010-11-10T18:09:00.000-06:00

So I finally decided to purchase bag #2!! After days of deliberation, I figured it would be the most logical since I would be carrying an Instax, camera, 2 lenses, and stuff from my purse and things for Kaylee. Should be here Friday!! EEEK!!!!

(All Pics from here)

Oh and trust, it will have accessories to jazz it up :)

Thanks for all the input! I really do appreciate it, the votes came out pretty evenly :)

xoxo

P.S Is anyone else having a problem with my blog showing up in their reader? :(

Pretty Pretty

2010-11-09T20:08:00.000-06:00

I have blogged less than I would have liked this week, I thought I would blog once a day but that didn't happen :) I have had so much fun with my mom being here that it totally slips my mind. Tonight me and mom went to a fancy little restaurant (10 North Main) here in town. I have eaten there once before with the hubs and loved it, it's just a little pricey. We both had the bison and some creme caramel for desert. It was absolutely amazing.

Me and mom started our mom/daughter art journals and absolutely LOVE how they are turning out. I thought I would share a few pages from the I Heart Fall class and maybe in a week or so I can post a few from our private journals :)

Janel made this page for me, we swapped pages, LOVE! :)

(this page was about things found around the house)

I still need to add to this page, just not sure what yet.

I'll (hopefully) be back tomorrow with the camera bag I finally purchased!!

xoxo

Oh Happy Day!

2010-11-07T17:25:00.001-06:00

I have been so busy the past few days with mom visiting. We picked her up on Friday and surprised the kids. We went to the craft fair yesterday and came home and did some art journaling. Today we celebrated Kaylee's birthday with prezzies and cake!! I took so many amazing pics. Here are a few from today :)

I have so much to share this week, including the first pictures I ever took with my new camera, journal pages, some surprises and the camera bag I FINALLY decided on (from my last post). Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

What did you do?

xoxo

P.S I love my new camera like woah!

Decisions Decisions

2010-11-04T20:24:00.001-05:00

So after looking through all the cute links from my last post, I have narrowed it down to 2 bags (that weren't even in my options)... I can't decide which one though... HELP!!!!

Found Here

Found Here

1 or 2?

xoxo

P.S things that make me happy today:

-I had a salon day today (cut, color and eyebrow wax)

-UPS delivered my Nikon (I am up to my eyeballs in manuals)

-I got to work on my art journal

-A pink Brita water pitcher is on its way to me (love!!)

-My mom will be here tomorrow (double yay!!)

-Craft fair Saturday

-Kaylee's party Sunday (I see a giant cupcake in my future)

pics soon!!! (as soon as I figure out my camera!)

Looking for Cute!

2010-11-03T15:15:00.001-05:00

I am on the search!! Looking for a super cute camera bag for my new Nikon I should have in my hands tomorrow! I have found a few cute bags and can't make up my mind. I knew the ugly black bag it comes with would not do. No way I'm spending a fortune and not look cute doing it :P So here is what I have found so far!!

From Here

From Here

From Here

From Here

Know of any online shops I could get a super cute SLR camera bag?? Also, looking for some cute camera strap covers, ideas?

xoxo

Trick R Treat!

2010-11-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

(Ironman and Fairy Princess)

Several things I worried about this year:

1. If I should skip Kaylee's costume this year (last year we spent way too much money and ended up only being out for 10 minutes before walking home because it was freezing!). When it snowed our original plan was to drive and follow Hayden from house to house (us girls are wimps when it comes to snow)

2. If I would be able to keep up with Hayden (he runs from house to house since he knows there is a time slot for free candy, sounds like me during a sale)

3. If Kaylee would have a meltdown

4. Doing this all by myself since Joseph was not here

It ended up being one of the best Halloweens ever. I put together some things for Kaylee's outfit and only ended up buying the cute sparkly shoes (she was a fairy princess). Everything else we already had. We ended up walking about half a mile and hit up all the houses in our loop and we were done in under 30 minutes. The kids came home with tons of candy and were VERY happy.

Kaylee was excellent and even said "Bye" to everyone she got candy from (while I thanked everyone). She was quite skiddish of the scary costumes people were wearing when they handed out candy. She would walk up slowly, grab up two fistfuls and then RUN back to me saying "BYE!" as she ran. It was very funny! Hayden did do a lot of running, but would wait for us after about 2 houses ahead of us. His word of the night was "JACKPOT!!" when he would get his favorite candy. OH! and every time he would get chocolate he would say "Look mom, candy for you!!!" haha!

After we got home, I loaded them up on sugar and we brushed our teeth, got into our pj's, crawled into bed and watched Backyardigans. I am so thankful everything went so smoothly. We have already picked out our costumes for next year. I'm going to be a panda, Joseph is going to be a giant cut out of China, Hayden will be a leaf and Kaylee will be bamboo. Creative right? Hope everyone had a great Halloween!!!

Here are some cute pics!!

Lots of fun, exciting things going on the next few weeks. Almost every day has something magical happening! I'll be posting often with all the awesomeness :)

xoxo

Oh Shoot!!

2010-10-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

I have this bad boy on it's way to me! Hubby bought me my first SLR!! yay!!

Nikon 12.3MP D5000 Digital SLR Camera with Lens, Bag, Extra VR 55-200mm Lens

My little Sony Cybershot crapped out on me and I have been wanting a new (much nicer) one for awhile now. I thought this would be a good starter camera. I did lots of research and got lots of help from the hubby and friends trying to decide between a Canon or Nikon. I heard the Nikon was a bit more user-friendly and great for beginners. After reading more than 200 reviews, I knew this was the one I wanted!! I am soooo excited!! Eeeek!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Happy Halloween!! I'll be back with Halloween pictures soon :)

What kind of camera do you use?? Do Love it?

xoxo

Special Day

2010-10-29T15:40:00.002-05:00

for a certain 2 year old in my house :) My little nugget Kaylee hit the big 2 today. Time has flown by way too fast and as most moms would agree, I wish it would SLOW down! My mom is coming up next week (for surprise visit for the kids... shhhhhh) and we are celebrating her birthday next weekend. I thought it would be fun to post a few pics over the last 2 years to see how much she has grown!

Kaylee,

you are such a beautiful, entertaining, smart little girl. Everyday you find new ways to make me laugh and melt my heart. You will always be my little princess. Love you more than I could ever put into words. Happy Birthday Nugget!!!

Love,

Momma

A Girl and Her Brush

2010-10-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

I have competely fallen for this shop! I hope to one day own one (or two or three) of these gorgeous paintings :) I've been really into mixed media lately and Wendy's art has completely captured my heart! I was reading through her blog, which you can find here, and noticed she also does art journals as well as classes. Her journals are just as gorgeous as her paintings!!

Here are just some of the amazingness she creates:

Love Love Love!

xoxo

Blog Yard Sale!!

2010-10-26T18:08:00.004-05:00

This past month I have been on a serious de-clutter movement. I have gone through boxes and boxes that I have given to goodwill and decided it was finally time to tackle my craft room. I have 5 *bunches* that I'm selling and will do a few more sporadically through out the next month. 98% is brand-new, unopened and if it's lightly used I will specify :)

If you would like to purchase any of the bunches, you can comment here, e-mail, text, skype... whatever way you normally get in touch with me and I'll send a paypal invoice to you asap! Make sure to specify which bunch you would like

(1-5).

Bunch 1:

-Feather Pen Cozy

-Love, Elsie Gel Stickers, Claire

-Love, Elsie Gel Stickers, Cody

-Love, Elsie Chipboard Frames, Zoe (dream)

-(2) Love, Elsie Chipboard Frames, Zoe

- (2) Love, Elsie Cardstock stickers, Zoe

-(2) Love, Elsie rub-ons, Zoe

-(2) Love, Elsie Gel Stickers, Zoe

-(2) Love, Elsie Cardstock Alpha Letters, Zoe

SOLD!!

**********************************************

Bunch 2:

-Elsie Recipe Box

-3 Prima cardstock alpha letters with tins

(1 box has been *very lightly* used)

SOLD!!

**********************************************

Bunch 3:

5 (8x10) Elsie Prints- Excellent condition

SOLD!!

**********************************************

Bunch 4:

-Feather Pen Cozy

-Love, Elsie chip buttons, Josie

-KI Memories softies

-KI Memories epoxy stickers

-Love, Elsie Clear Stamps, Zoe

-Love, Elsie chipboard frames, Zoe (i love art)

-Love, Elsie Gel Stickers, Zoe

-Love, Elsie Chipboard Frames, Zoe (dream)

- (2) Love, Elsie cardstock alpha stickers, zoe

-(2) Love, Elsie rub-ons, Zoe

-Love, Elsie gel stickers, Riley

-Love, Elsie chipboard Frames, zoe (enjoy the journey)

$18 + $4 shipping

**********************************************

Bunch 5:

-Feather Pen Cozy

-Love, Elsie chipboard album, Zoe (art palette)

-Love, Elsie chipboard album, Zoe (camera)

-Love, Elsie tiny ribbon (6 spools), Zoe

-Love, Elsie big ribbon (6 spools), Cody

-Love, Elsie tiny ribbon (6 spools), Forrest

-Love, Elsie soft charms, Cody

-Love, Elsie soft charms, Zoe

-Love, Elsie soft charms, Josie (lightly used)

-Love, Elsie rub-ons, Zoe (lightly used, missing 2 small rub-ons)

-Large amount of cupcake deco tape

SOLD!!

**********************************************

Happy Shopping!!

(I'll keep this updated)

xoxo

My First Craft Venue

2010-10-24T17:36:00.000-05:00

I learned so many things from this first showing.

1. I need to have a super cute display next time (already have a million ideas)

2. I need to triple my inventory

3. I need to find a babysitter

I had a lot of fun and that was the main thing I was going for. I got my name out there and met a lot of nice ladies. Here are some pics. Kinda bummed my battery died because I didn't get nearly all the pics I was going for.

Valerie's adorable banners

Sandi's soaps, lotions and candles

Sandi and Valerie's cuteness

xoxo

Hootie and Tawnie

2010-10-22T10:49:00.002-05:00

Oh goodness! I think this is the longest I have ever gone without updating my little space. I had a nice little break and used it to get super crafty. I made tons of new product for the craft venue tonight and got to finally catch up on my DVR. Tonight I'll be in my FIRST ever craft venue! I'm so excited, but so nervous too!! If your in the Minot area and want directions, e-mail me!! It will be lots of fun and there will be so many talented ladies with lots of goodies! Something for everyone :) I'll post lots of pics Sunday! Wish me luck!! :) EEEk!

Now for the cuteness..... I found a super cute owl plushie pattern floating around the blog world and had to make my own. (Click Here for the pattern made by Viviana). I love love how they turned out and put my own little spin on it. I hand-stitched it instead and added a cutie bow to Tawnie. Bringing these little guys with me tonight!! Too cute!!

Hootie

Tawnie

Have a great weekend!!

xoxo

Forgiveness

2010-10-18T22:03:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately. Whether it be a friend, family or even someone you don't know that well, it can be one of the hardest things to do. Why something so important, is so hard for me to do, I will never understand. I know that anger is a ball (so to speak) of wasted energy that has no place to go, but to harbor inside of oneself. Why grudges? What's the point? It's much easier to move past things, but why, knowing how much easier it will be, is it so hard to get to that point?

Wikipedia defines Forgiveness as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. Studies show that people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments. The first study to look at how forgiveness improves physical health discovered that when people think about forgiving an offender it leads to improved functioning in their cardiovascular and nervous systems. Another study found the more forgiving people were, the less they suffered from a wide range of illnesses. The less forgiving people reported a greater number of health problems.

Doesn't that first part sound harsh? I find it does. I know it's unhealthy and I know it just causes unhappiness and who wants to be either? This is one of those things I have been struggling with lately and know in my heart I can eventually get past. Why does it take so long? Why can't I just be like Emeril "BAM!" and it all be forgotten!

I find when I get things out in the open, become vulnerable, I find obstacles easier to conquer. It's a marker in my life that I can now move past because all my feelings are out and in the open. I know that I'm not the only one who feels these same thoughts and has the same struggles. It's comforting to know I'm not alone and we all deal with the same everyday things in life. I love you readers!! Thanks for listening to me, even if I don't make sense or my thoughts can be jumbled.

Thank you for listening (reading).

xoxo