Fear...ful Friday

Ecards | World Wildlife Fund

I know Fridays are usually my Fearless Fridays, but I couldn't resist the Halloween connection here.  I hope everyone has a Ghoulishly Good Halloween!  Use the link above to send creepy animal ecards to your favorite haunt from the WWF.

Mmmwwwaaaahahaha....

It's just another manic Monday...

whoawo, I wish it were Sunday, whoawhoaoo, That's my fun-day...

Sorry, I slipped into the Bangles lyrics for a minute, but I'm back. That's what you get for growing up in the 80s!!

I'm getting my package ready to send out to my SHOP SWAP AND BLOG partner and I want to make sure you watch my blog in the next week or so for the exchange to happen. I'm so excited! I won't tell you what I'm sending because I want it to be a surprise for her, but I'll give you all the details when the time comes. Stay tuned...

Fearless Friday

More Pink-tober!

Within the last few weeks, I have heard so many amazing stories of brave women who have defeated or are in the process of fighting breast cancer.  I can't imagine the courage this takes.  In this spirit, I have picked several Etsy items from different artists who are participating in breast cancer awareness.  I know there are so many out there, but here are a few of my favorites:

Why dogs don't like Halloween

You may have seen some of these photos because I just received it as an email, but it was so cute I had to pass it along to all of you.  I know my dog, Pancake, doesn't like Halloween because he HATES the doorbell...and he's not too fond of visitors either.  He actually doesn't mind his pumpkin outfit, but he has never had to wear anything like these costumes:

Great Apron Giveaway

Oh, how I love great aprons!!!  I never gave them much thought until a few years ago...and ever since I have wanted a really cute one.  If you feel the same way, you have to check out this wonderful apron giveaway, hosted by The Fancy Lady: http://thefancyladygourmet.blogspot.com/2009/10/handmaidens-cottage-apron-giveaway-and.html#comment-form

This is the apron she showcases, but the giveaway lets you pick your favorite.  How much flirty fun is that???!!!

I messed up

Sorry, I was working all day today and just realized now that I gave the wrong link before for binspired (since I was running late this morning and not thinking about what I was doing).  Aaaagghhhh!!  Don't you hate when real life gets in the way of blogging?!

Anyway, here is the correct link: http://binspiredmama.blogspot.com/2009/10/seven-handmade-alternatives-to.html

My fortune cookies are getting around

I've got a blog for everyone to check out: http://binspiredmama.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloweentreat-for-moms-to-boost-your.html
It's an awesome blog with very good ideas, and I'm happy to have my paper fortune cookies included in her latest post.  I keep rolling out the fortune cookies for friends and family and they are becoming a big hit for Halloween.  Now, I've got to start stocking up for other occasions.

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Great deals; great shirts

Several of you commented that you wanted to see my purchases from the Ellembee sale I so joyously blogged about on Friday.  Although I went mainly to do some early holiday shopping, I did find 3 shirts for myself I just had to have (but since it was a sale, I don't have to feel guilty at all, right?).  I'm posting the photos of all my great buys here so you can see more of her super cute designs.  Some items were marked down because of small imperfections, others were her older designs, and others were just regular sale items.

I happily came away from the sale with 2 totes, 5 shirts, and 1 hat (which wasn't an Ellembee design, but looks very cute with all of her shirts), and 4 of those items will become holiday gifts...not too shabby!!!!

If you missed my post on Friday and you like these designs, you should definitely check out Ellembee's shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5691356

She is a very talented designer and she's always adding new things to her shop ... I noticed some scarves last time I visited that I might need to give more attention to :)

In the end, I'm so glad I went, not just for the great shopping, but because I love learning from all of my fellow Etsians.  She ran a very organized sale and had a great plan for raffle prizes.  Plus, I can wear my new fortune cookie shirt when I list new paper fortune cookies on my shop (they've been a big hit for Halloween and I plan to extend the line for weddings and baby showers, etc.).

I hope you enjoyed my shopping experience!!!

Fearless Friday

My fearless act is going to be delayed until tomorrow.  That is when I'm going to be going giddy over Ellembee's sale in White Lake, MI.  I am sooooo happy to be a neighbor and easily pop in to take a look at all the wonderful shirts and other items she is putting out at discounted prices.  My fearless act:  not going over my budget!!  This is the time of the year when I should be spending money on Christmas gifts for others, but the desire to add to my own wardrobe is going to be extremely high when I see all of those wonderful designs.      ...I'm going to have to befriend more people who wear my size before Christmas comes around :)

****If you are going to be in the Detroit area tomorrow, check out Ellembee's shop announcement to find out more about her sale: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5691356

And if you're not going to be here, you can still drool over her designs online.

Cards for the Troops

For our October challenge, the Etsy Paper Street Team decided to make thank you cards to send to the deployed troops.  I made a few yesterday, but found I was in a doodling mood this morning and created this card to add to my collection.  I guess this is kind of like show and tell, because I wanted to share it with all of you.  I love to doodle, but never take the time to do it much.  When I do, it almost always comes back to swirls...I LOVE SWIRLS.  They always remind me of a sea nautilus.

Let me know if you would like to send your own cards to the military and I will check with our team to see if we can add them to our shipment.  I'm sure they would appreciate anything.

It's getting cold outside...

I guess I won't be able to enjoy a long autumn season of crisp, but warm days because it looks like we are going right into winter (whether I'm ready for it or not).  At least the leaf colors are just as beautiful (if not more) as any other year.  I added my first true holiday card a few days ago to my Etsy shop.  I apologize to those of you who don't know about our crazy Michigan tradition of always pointing out where we live on our hand.  Those of you who have had to endure it will understand what this card it all about!

Have a great Monday, everyone!!!

Fun Friday

No Fearless today...ALL FUN!!  It just sounds like people might need a fun thing to get them through until the weekend.  So, have your hand at Reversi above.  I'm not going to keep it up for long, but I thought you might enjoy it if you need a little break.  I loved this game when I was a kid and I got pretty excited when I just saw it.  If you've never played, it is addictive!  Have Fun!!!!!!!

Brussel Sprouts

We finally had some of the wonderful brussel sprouts that are in season for dinner tonight.  I've been looking for different recipes, and I found this really easy one from Rachel Ray's mag:

Halve the sprouts, mix with olive oil and sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until tender.  Serve with cut up apple and cooked bacon pieces. 

This was so easy and so delicious!  It was one of those perfect fall dishes.

Just a little sad

My Detroit Tigers just lost in an amazing 12 inning tie-breaker :(  I'm a little sad and had to grieve about it just for a minute.  I know it's not even close to being the end of the world, but it is always sad to see those poor guys faces when they realize they're not going to the post-season.  Oh, well.  I'll be better tomorrow!  Have a great day, everyone!!!

Mega March for Michigan Humane Society

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend!  I walked for the Michigan Humane Society on Sunday and it was a great success again.  All the dogs were so well-behaved (I know better than to bring mine because he would have been the exception) and the rain held off.  Here are some photos of the happy fur-monsters!

Fearless Friday

Normally (as in 99.99999% of the time), I am a live and let live person.  I don't really like to be told what to do, and I hate telling other people what to do even more.  Being good sleuths that you are, you may be predicting right now that this is that 0.00001% time and that it accounts for my fearless act this Friday.  I promise I won't go around giving any more advice after today, so don't be scared off, and just know I'm doing it with the kindest of gestures.

As you are aware, the wonderful month of October is now upon us.  It means hayrides, apples, and brisk walks in the woods.  October is also National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Because of this, I am advising everyone to consider the people in your life (including yourself) and make sure everyone who should have an annual breast exam has.  Many women need a little push in the right direction when it comes to this issue and we can all be there for each other.  I know I need to schedule mine, so I'm going to make the call today.