Seriously?! Alright, Now What?

Over the last few weeks it's been all over the news that gas prices are going up and will continue to go up with some places reaching $5.00 per gallon. Yesterday, our gas station right around the corner raised their price from $3.86 a gallon to $4.06 a gallon! In one day! So that got me thinking about all kinds of stuff....and wondering how your families are making it through this recession with increasing prices.

Chris and I are no strangers to cutting back, and a lot of the things that I do (or don't do) is a direct result of recognizing what's most important to us. It's no secret that I am a stay at home wife and I believe that that is the place that I'm supposed to be but there are challenges that we face in order to maintain that. We've done the dual income, full time, hardly see one another, 1850 square foot brand new house thing and it simply didn't work. I believe women are the keepers of the home and our presence and attitudes set the tone for family atmosphere so how do we balance that with the extra challenges we are facing?

I'd love to hear any input that you may have and how you stretch your dollars and time into a thriving home. And is this something that you would be interested in turning into an ongoing Thrifty Living Series?

I hope to hear from you soon!

You Rock....

Good morning!

It's a busy day around here, but I wanted to quickly post the card I made for Chris for Valentine's Day this year. I'm sure I've said it before but just in case you missed it, I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY!

Have a good day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Good morning everyone!

A few weeks ago I went to a class given by a special friend and we made a bunch of love themed projects....a scrapbook page, a treat box, two cards and a sweet little "mailbox"!

It took me some time to figure out which picture to put on my page and I finally decided on the one you see below....

Chris and Melissa July 1993

Chris and I met when we were paired up to walk down the isle together in a wedding. It seemed fitting to use that particular picture on the scrapbook page and to post it on Valentine's Day! :)

Thanks again to Shana for hosting such an awesome class....I'm looking forward to many, many more!

Sweet Treat Cups Take Two.....

Oops! I was away a little bit longer than I expected....I think that's a sure sign that I have a little too much going on around here don't you?

Today's card is one I made with my niece and mom a few weeks ago. It uses the Sweet Treat Cups from Stampin' Up! and has a little trap door to release the candy just like the first set we made. Honestly, the possibilities are endless when it comes to the treat cups!

Have you made anything for Valentine's Day? Leave me a comment and let me know so that I can come by and check it out!

Sweet Treat Cups Take One.....

I spent a little time yesterday working on some Valentine's cards with my mom and here's what we came up with.....


I got the layout idea from a video on Youtube and now I can't find the video....I hate it when that happens! Anyway, we inserted a little trap door in the back so the candy can come out without the card being destroyed.

Sigh.....I love Valentine's Day!

Have a good evening!

The Ribbon Wreath.....

It's FINALLY done!

I've been wanting to create a ribbon wreath for a long, long time and after following Erin's tutorial and a whole lot of procrastination, it's finally complete and hung up.....



I realize that you are not getting a full on shot of it but I'm still in my pajamas and didn't want to take away from the wreath by making you look at me in my jammies...so please forgive me!



Even with all of the finger burns it was well worth the effort! :)

Have a good weekend!

2012 Word of the Year....

image from bhg.com

Good afternoon friends...

I hope 2012 is treating you well so far! I finally took my Christmas tree down yesterday and feel a little let down to be honest. I miss the soft lights and the peaceful music playing on the radio. Am I the only one who feels this way? How do you combat it?

I've been thinking for a little over a week now for my word for 2012. It seems to be fairly popular in the blog world to have one word to describe what you are striving for in the new year....kind of like a resolution so to speak. I kicked around all kinds of things before settling on.....

REAL

That's what 2012 is going to be about for me. Being real. In relationships, on the blog, at church, with my Savior and any other place I might find myself!

So here's to a new year friends....I hope to "see" all of you soon!