{blogs i follow}

this post lists every single blog that is in my google reader. i've been wanting to do this post for a while, and have been working on it for a few weeks - it was pretty time consuming. but now that i've done an official list, i can just let you know if i find a new blog worth following.

i thought about adding a few lines of text to each blog - explaining why i follow it or how i found it. but it's already such a long post, i decided to skip that. maybe over time, i will do some "feature" posts on my favorite blogs. i did one about elsie's and that was fun. anyway...if you are bored this weekend, here are lots and lots of links! i grouped them as logically as i could, and then put some miscellaneous ones at the end. some of these i've been following for years, while others i just joined up last week.

{Paper Scrapbooking + Crafting}

a beautiful mess

author: elsie flannigan

becky's blog

author: becky higgins

crafty storage

author: various contributors

enJOY it

author: elise joy blaha

jennifer mcguire, ink

author: jennifer mcguire

scrapburbia
author: sarah milne

stacyjulian.com - the website

the main blog

i love color

sprinkles

author: stacy julian

write.click.scrapbook.

author: various contributors

life without filters

author: monica

ali edwards

author: ali edwards

{Digital Scrapbooking + Hybrid}

designer digitals

author: store blog

you can find the website here.

digiscrap101

author: kayla lamoreaux

you can find the full website here.

jessica sprague

author: jessica sprague (professional site)

spraguelab

author: jessica sprague (personal site)

katie the scrapbook lady

author: katie nelson

kelleigh ratzlaff designs

author: kelleigh ratzlaff

simple scrapper
author: jennifer s. wilson

the daily digi

author: various contributors

{People I Know}

brentwood drive

author: roxanne

glued2paper

author: melissa

proverbs thirty-one & beyond
author: cassidy

punker-do designs
author: jill

when a duet becomes a trio

author: lindsay

{Party Planning}

creative hostess

author: jen

creative party place

author: shannon

hostess with the mostess

author: jennifer sbranti

the party dress

author: kelly lyden

{Savings + Coupons}

southern savers

author: jenny

common sense with money

author: mercedes

{Miscellaneous}

babywebbsite

author: rachel webb

creek's edge

author: me

lindsay alexander photography

author: lindsay alexander

mckmama
author: jennifer mckinney

design mom

author: gabrielle blair

marta writes

author: marta

make and takes

author: marie lebaron (and other contributors)

spurs up

gamecock sports blog

the creative mama

author: angie warren (plus other contributors)

the journey

author: lindsay alexander

the mom creative

author: jessica turner

the mother huddle

author: various contributors

{lucky finds}

saint patrick's day is right around the corner. and anyone that knows me, knows how much i love this holiday. it's one of my favorites! first i thought i'd link you back to previous posts related to the luckiest day of the year:

decorations from 2006

photos from 2006

photos from 2007

photos from 2008

coleman's first st patrick's day - smilebox

photos from 2009

 i couldn't resist digging around the internet for some clever ideas. some i might try out this year, some i'm saving for when coleman is older, and some are just too much for me, but i thought they were cute so i'm sharing them anyway.

this first one is my favorite. if you don't follow any others, at least click on this one. the project itself isn't something i'm going to jump up and do right away - but i liked some of the holiday related information provided in the post!

linked to this post shamrock badges, from design mom

you can download this free lucky word art from the ScrapStreet blog.

Rainbow Cupcakes and Toppers from Make and Takes

Instructions for rainbow cupcakes can be found here.

very cute Pot of Gold, also from Make and Take

Saw this cute idea at family fun. it's cute in a lime, but would also be adorable (and easier) in those plastic black kettles you can buy at party city and such!

family fun also featured this coloring page. you can download the free pdf here.

over at two peas, i found this cute poem idea for "leprechaun poo". i thought this would be particularly cute for an older boy (like spencer)...they think anything with "poo" is funny. this uses green jelly beans but you could substitute with any green treat.

i'm not big on irish food so we usually have green pancakes on st patrick's day. however, this "updated" shepherd's pie recipe sounds like something we might eat! it's from kraft foods.

 

another printable, but maybe for older kids - a word search from nestle. click here for the jpeg file. 

these leprechaun hat cookies are absolutely adorable. they are WAY too complicated for a no-patience baker like myself, but maybe someone else out there is feeling a bit more adventurous :)

lucky charms offers a variety of printables - coloring sheets, cupcake decorations, cake stencils, and party decorations.

ENJOY!!

{how can such a huge heart be so weak?}

the lady featured in all of these pictures is my mother-in-law, matt's mom, spencer and coleman's grandmother...joanne. or as the grandkids call her, just "jo".

she is so loving and giving. she's the "give you the shirt of her back" type. she is motherly and nurturing.

she is a fantastic cook and a sickening wonderful housekeeper. she is a loyal and devoted friend.

so, i don't understand how a heart that is SO HUGE can be so weak. maybe it's been overworked?

she went in for a heart cath this morning and we were hoping for some stints. unfortunately, that's not the news we were given. tomorrow afternoon (tuesday), she will have triple bypass open heart surgery. any prayers would be greatly appreciated.

trying to see the bright side of an unexpected and scary situation...at least they caught it before she had a heart attack and they are able to do the surgery right away. we are feeling blessed that all of this is happening on a week when matt is off from work and can be there to support his family - his father in particular, who is taking it so hard. i am feeling blessed to have a job and a boss that says, without blinking an eye, that it's totally OK to not fly to ohio as planned and to be with my family and not worry about work until i feel like i can. so...we are all scared, and worried, but it will be OK. she's an incredibly strong woman and she's going to be just fine.

this week {3.1 to 3.7}

~ coleman had his one year appointment. detailed post here ~

~ i got my iPhone calendar updated for march and april ~

~ i tried the new nature valley yogurt granola bars. yummy. ~

~ i had a nice long chat with my dear friend cassidy ~

~ i bought some digital scrapping supplies from chrissyw at elemental scraps. i got $17 worth for only $3 (four templates). gotta love that. ~

~ i went shopping at the upscale weesale (consignment sale) .. more detail to follow ~

~ i left work early because of the snow ~

~ our hoa board meeting was cancelled because of the snow ~

~ i went to work late...because of the snow ~

~ scott came over to hang out ~

~ i worked on, and finished, the neighborhood newsletter...four pages this time! ~

~ i shopped at rite aid, walgreen's, target, and harris teeter ~

~ spencer had a playoff basketball game, and lost ~

~ spencer was invited to try out for a new travel baseball team. details here.  ~

~ spencer got drafted in the majors for rec baseball ~

~ spencer got into some serious trouble at school...a total first for us ~

~ i got a serious, killer headache ~

~ i submitted for an fsa reimbursement ~

~ our stupid dish went out, causing me to miss some of american idol. ugh. ~

~ matt, coleman and i went to britt's campaign kickoff. more details here.~

~ we all had supper at britt and martha's house ~

~ matt and spencer went to the carolina/clemson baseball game in greenville, and stopped at the beacon in spartanburg for lunch ~

~ coleman and i went to tara's and hung out with her and colton for a bit ~

~ coleman and i went from a walk and delivered newsletters ~

~ matt and spencer brought coleman and i gifts from their day trip. i got a mug and coleman got a monkey. so sweet. ~

~ scott came over, again ~

~ we ordered pizza ~

~ spencer had his first baseball tryout ~

~ i took a nap!!!!! ~

~ i bought a bunch of gamecock stuff on the side of the road for cheap. including some items i'm hanging on to for father's day ~

{savings tracker}

spent = $161; saved $167 (51%)

annual savings = $952 (42%)

all photos from the week can be seen here.

{britt for county council}

today my brother-in-law, britt blackwell, announced his candidacy for county council. matt, coleman and i attended his campaign launch event (spencer was in school). i must confess i am not much into politics. i know what i believe, what is important to me, and how i stand on bigger issues. but i do not follow politics on any level - local, state, or national. i educate myself enough to vote, but not much beyond that. it's just not my "thing".

but, britt is a conservative republican and being family, obviously i know his views on things and that we line up pretty closely. i would support family in any endeavor, but i also support his political career. he has served on both local and state school boards, and decided county council was the next step for him.

unfortunately, i don't have many *connections* to really help him out, but i will do what i can. i was able to answer some of his facebook questions. i made a flyer for the launch event. and we will eventually host a "meet and greet" at our home. i have made sure everyone i know in his district knows that he's running so they can at least read up on his views to see if they might want to support him.

you can follow britt in various ways:

website

blog

facebook

raised eyebrows {3.4.2010}

i know i've found something nifty online when my eyebrows pop up! so, here are a few things that have raised my eyebrows recently:

*1* these two nifty ideas from the creative mama. after seeing both of these, i had to subscribe to her blog. clearly she's a "type a" after my own heart.  

*2* as i posted earlier this week, i recently purchased some black/white houndstooth rainboots to match the umbrella i got for christmas. so, i got to thinking...it'd be awesome to get a matching rain hat (granted, i have no idea when i'd really wear all of this...but seriously - i just love cute accessories). so, when i want something that i can't find...i head to etsy.

it's not a rain hat, but i'm loving this one from BKMHattitude

and then this one from moonflower20. seriously. i'm in love!

*3* another new blog subscription: martha writes. i was tickled to see her workshop this week. i have read a few posts, but haven't caught up on them all yet...but if you are a blogger, or a small business owner, or both, or thinking about either...definitely worth reading. if you go to her blog, she has the posts all linked up right there at the top.

*4* i confess that i haven't tried this yet, but after reading this rave review, it's on my to-do list :) if you are looking to learn any computer programs...looks like a good place to go!

lynda.com

*5* i was really moved and inspired by this post by becky higgins. i truly, honestly hope that i can instill this level of creativity and confidence in coleman.

{parenting is tough}

yeah, i know...not exactly groundbreaking news there. in the last couple of days, i've gone from being an incredibly proud stepmama, to a very disappointed and shocked one. i guess it's just the rollercoaster ride of parenting. on top of that, i didn't see my baby at all last night (because i was shopping) and then he slept late this morning so i saw him about 10 minutes before work. i need some serious snuggle time with my munchkin. i'm looking forward to this weekend with all of my boys. hopefully it'll be a fun, relaxing ending to a rollercoaster week that was definitely not relaxing.

{confession}

i am totally ready for spring, but i must confess that when it started to snow earlier today, i did a little happy dance inside...only because i knew i had an excuse to wear these:

i have another confession related to this recent rainboot purchase. target has several cute pairs. lindsay (the photographer) has the ones pictured above and i didn't want to be a copycat so i actually bought the pair that are black with colorful polka dots. super cute. then a few days later (luckily before i wore them), it clicked that my adorable new umbrella that santa put in my stocking is black/white houndstooth. HELLO. i had to exchange the boots. i happened to have the umbrella in hand at the return counter in target and told the cashier what i was doing (as if she cared). she laughed. whatever.

anyway...

we are getting some HUGE snowflakes and i tried to capture that on my iPhone camera, but these pictures just don't do the size of the flakes any justice. It's been snowing for many hours but it's only just now starting to stick.

{coleman's one year check-up}

hi everyone! it's me, coleman. today, i had my one year appointment with dr cook and my mommy said it would be ok for me to use her blog to let everyone know how it went. she even was smart and took some pictures of me on her phone while we were there. sure would've been nice of her if she'd gotten me dressed first, huh?

anyway, we started out in the waiting room of course. and this is always the best part of the doctor trips. i mean, you can keep your clothes on, there are no needles, and sometimes i get to play with some toys or something. today there was a little boy there, just like me. he was 2 days younger than me. he even had the same name as my daddy! cool, huh?

so, finally they called me and mommy back to see the doctor. after they stripped me down to just my lil ole diaper, they dumped me on a scale. i weigh 23 pounds and 3 ounces. i'm in the 50th percentile for weight (whatever that means!). next they held me down so they could measure my length and head - HATE that. i am 30" long which is the 75th percentile (huh???). THEN, that mean ole nurse pricked my finger for some iron test thingy. i mean, what's up with that? but no worries, i am a big boy and i didn't even flinch! she wrapped a big ole band-aid around my tiny little finger, which provided me with plenty of entertainment the rest of the visit.

after waiting just a few minutes, dr cook came in. he and mommy talked about all the neat tricks i can do (like i'm a dog or something). he poked and prodded at me. shined a light in my eyes and ears. tried to shove a stick down my throat. i was NOT happy with that! finally he left me alone and said i was perfect. turns out that doctor is pretty smart after all!!! i'm not exactly sure what they were talking about, but he said i didn't have to get my MMR until next time (in three months) and mommy seemed really relieved about that.

so, just when i thought we were done and dr cook leaves....here comes that nurse again. i should've known something was up when mommy gave me my pacifier and tried to look all sweet and innocent. then BAM a big ole needle right in the leg. and then BAM another one. you can forget that "big boy" stuff from the earlier finger prick. i wailed like a baby for this one. OUCH! the nurse must have felt really guilty because she came back in and gave me a book about fire trucks!!!  and a few minutes of cuddles with my mommy, and i was good to go!!!

after all of that, i was super tired. i took a nice nap in the car on the way to miss aj's house.