Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

Hope everyone had a blessed Mother's Day!

A touch of femininity...

I recently scored a huge bag of lace, both new and vintage, at Goodwill and have had a blast using it. This week I lined the shelf in my hutch with lace using double-sided tape...

I also found this idea in a magazine. Using thumbtacks and lace, I made an "organizer" for all the small things in my bathroom drawer...

Not only does it keep it all from moving around and getting lost amongst other things, it brings a smile to my face each time I open the drawer.
Ahh, I love being a girl. :)

Laundry Room "Art"

I have been working on my laundry room and did a simple and quick project today to spice it up a bit.

I got these little chandelier type things at Michaels a while back for like 20 cents and spray painted it black. Next, using double-sided tape, I attached it to damask scrapbook paper and framed it. Viola! Made to match art for less than 2 bucks! ;)

Dress Up Center

This is very simple to do! I took out one of the shelves in my daughter's bookcase and using a small tenion rod, hung her dress up clothes!

Tip Time!

Have a pastry cutter? It is an excellent tool for getting hamburger meat "taco perfect"... I have also used it to "shred" chicken.

This next tip is something my mom has done for as long as I can remember. Reuse candle jars! This is so easy! I love it because not only do I get to burn a yummy candle, but when it's gone, I get a cute jar.

All I do is soak the jar and the remaining wax in HOT soapy water. I usually leave it to soak overnight and then in the morning gently lift out the wax with a butterknife. It should come right out. Give it a good scrubbin', soak it again, pop it in the dishwasher, bleach it, whatever you feel is necessary.

These are my favorites these days- Paula Deen. (I get mine at Wal-Mart.)

This next one is so adorable, very vintage farmhouse and it also came from Wal-Mart, so it's CHEAP!

Also, I "invested" in a $4.oo candle warmer and anytime you get to the bottom of the candle or you lose the wick (GRR) you can stretch the last bit of it with these things. I sometimes prefer the warmer, because it's stronger and it makes the candle last longer.

just a thought...

These are evil...and must be stopped...

I can thank my Daddy for sending me these all the way from Florida. He just knew I would love them. Sweet and salty? Crazy good. Seriously, the madness must be stopped.

Boutique-y frame DIY

I love all the little shops downtown, but I don't love the prices. I got this idea from a hodge-podge of things I saw while window shopping. It turned out pretty cute considering it was the stuff I had on hand.

I took a brown paper bag and applied a rub-on on it. Then I crumbled it up into a ball a few times to make it look worn and antique-y. Next I took a lighter and lit (and quickly blew out!!) the edges. (If you ever did the whole "make an antique treasure map" in school, this is very similar!) Then I glued it onto a piece of pretty scrap paper cut to fit my frame. I used a few rhinestones to embellish. They look really orange in this pic, but they are more on the amber/brown side.

They had frames like this priced at nearly $30.00!

Vintage Cookbooks

I have a deep obsession...er...love for vintage cookbooks. I found this one at a garage sale for $1.00! These are my favorite. The ones that are really loved, stained, and with tons of notes and stuff inside. It's from 1941 and it had a newspaper page, perfectly preserved inside, from 1958. My husband and I looked at it for like thirty minutes straight. We love stuff like this! Do you collect vintage cookbooks? If so, what have you found in them?

I also have a collection of McCalls that were my grandmothers and I love reading all her little notes inside and knowing which ones were her favorites by the stains and wear on the pages. It's the neatest feeling knowing that I am cooking for my husband and daughter (her great granddaughter) what she cooked for my daddy.

It's priceless.

Easter and Spring Decor

I had so many questions as to the whereabouts of my Easter decor, (you guys are so sweet!) so here you go :)

Cadbury, oh Cadbury.

So today Monkey and I made cookies for Easter. But not just any cookies. The. best. cookies. EVER. Seriously, I have never had a cookie like this before. I made over a dozen and hubbie wanted more. They're made with Cadbury Mini Eggs, which alone are to die for. You can find the recipe over at Our Best Bites.

Here are us girls gettin' our bake on:
If you're anything like me, you may be wondering where the rug is "that should be by the stove"... well, it's in the wash. LOL. Oh, what's that? You didn't notice..? I totally would. Sorry.

Tomorrow we'll have an Easter brunch at home, just the three of us, and a truly southern Easter dinner of Homemade Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Okra, and Cornmeal Biscuits. Cadbury and Fried Chicken? It truly is a special occasion.

We'll also be reading the Easter Story, decorating eggs, and I can't wait to see Ella Beth's face when she wakes up and sees that the Easter Bunny came while she was sleeping!

I want my daughter to experience all the joys of childhood, but she will also know that tomorrow is the most sacred day in history, and in our lives. The day that her Jesus, my Jesus, your Jesus, our Jesus rose again.

Have a blessed Easter Sunday with your loved ones!

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

(Emphasis is my own)