Purse For a Cure

i was getting ready to post about the amazing tattoo stories that will be going on with my pal Linds over at Scenic Glory when I read this Purse for a Cure post, I must go ahead and spread the word on this first!

just discovering this blog - i may not be queen elizabeth but i can still rock a wig was truly inspiring and i wanted you to take a moment to read her story.

if you want to join this raffle, it's $5 for each entry. Go here for more details and enter this fabness going on at Scenic Glory! xoxo much love friends. 

in this love

since it's the last day to link your love letters over at ftlob today, i decided it was time i should write one!

♥

in this love

when you're near, i am whole

it's with you that i am safe

i am pure and beautiful

in such a magical place

it's when you walk beside me, i feel your warmth

-you complete me-

you sparkle me with shimmers of gold

you grab me in the midst of all the chaos

to let me know it'll be alright

you whisper i love you

and kiss me goodnight

you bring me such joy and comfort

it's in this love, i'm at peace with you

It's also The Look Book feature today- if you are a fashion lover, this is for you! We're also getting so much ready for the upcoming fun at ftlob. We are hosting a Twitter Party for those who love to tweet. We have the Handmade Trade, The Album, Several Link Parties and soon to come-Workshops.   

We Heart Shops is a new magazine featuring small businesses. If you'd love to get some exposure, this is a great way to get your shops out there-it's good for a lifetime! We recently added packages, so please check them out.

I am also creating websites for small businesses and have actually changed my entire ebay store over onto a site where it cost absolutely nothing compared to the ebay fees - am looking forward to saving a ton of money this way. If you have a store on Etsy or Ebay or have a website that you are paying a ton to, please email me and i can help you save money! I can discuss further details in an email and will be charging a very LOW fee to set an entire website up for you and your shops! Along with this, I will be promoting your business to make your dreams come true! xo ttys!

Have a super GOOD day Loves!

always on my mind-dearest nanay

On the 13th
December 2010 13:15 EST, my beloved grandmother
lost the fight for her life, ten days short of my grandfather's two-year death
anniversary. It was a shock as I had not expected it to happen quite so soon.
For the first couple of days, I was in denial and somewhat did not believe that
it had happened. Every morning, I’d wake up hoping it was all just a bad dream.
Sadly, this was not the case…

Via

My grandma and I have a special bond. She raised me in the Philippines during the first three years of my life whilst my mum moved to Australia in search of a good opportunity to put her college degree into place. In childhood psychology, the first few years of a child’s life is crucial in identifying it’s Primary caregiver. Perhaps this is the reason that at different stages (to about the age of 10), I identified with her more so than I did my own mother. She then came with me to Australia, lived with us for a few more years, to allow me to live with my mum again.

A giving person, my grandmother was, not a lot of people could boast such a trait. To be able to put her own life on hold, retire from her career, leave her husband (my grandpa) in another country, just so my mum and I could settle into our new life in a new country. She cared about our family a great deal and these type of actions, really did show that. She did eventually go back home to resume life while mum and I built a new life and family here in Australia. We wrote letters often. She loved writing. She also loved reading. Possibly a gift she had passed down to my mum and I, we are both bookworms, and as you can tell by my blog I too love writing. She was a teacher both at home and by profession. She always encouraged me to voice my feelings. She was not a fan of bottling up emotions. It’s possible that a reason I was not able to go beyond five diary entries each time I started a journal was because I was already writing to my grandmother on a regular basis. She was, my diary.

The letters gradually decreased during my teens, until it eventually stopped. It was me. I was growing up. I assumed that there was a lot my grandmother would rather not read about. I found myself too busy to write letters. Of course, hindsight will tell me the opposite but hindsight is always right. I only really went back to the Philippines twice and my grandma only came back less than a handful of times; I saw my grandma in short bouts throughout the years until her death. This, I absolutely regret. Although we were far away in distance, I still felt a closeness in our hearts. My mum and most other family members had labelled me, the favourite grandchild, the one label I proudly wear. She openly admits it too without alienating her other grandchildren (my sisters and cousins). They were all loved by her.

Having had grown up here in Australia, I am not all that familiar with a lot of traditions in the Philippines. During this week, I got to learn one of their traditions just a bit better. Traditionally, the wake is held at the house from the day of death till the day of the burial. Family members are comforted by friends and acquaintances who come at all hours of the day and night to pay their respects. Here the life of my grandma is celebrated among those who knew and loved her the most.

My grandma was a little socialite even until the last few weeks. She had a major presence among her peers and the community. So not surprisingly, a few hundred people had come to visit her family home by the last day of the wake. Although this sort of tradition is hard for the family members (in this case my uncle and mum) due to lack of sleep, emotionally, I’m sure it helped them even if just a little in dealing with their loss – our loss.

As for me, unfortunately I was not able to fly there in time due to my passport having expired. Skype and Facebook are a godsend; I was able to keep in touch whilst everything was happening. Although that’s not stopped me from aching to be there with everyone else.I hope my grandmother doesn’t think I’ve forgotten her …

This was read by my uncle during the last mass on my behalf -

Dearest Nanay,
I am used to change.
Change of schools, countries, jobs and friends
but you have been with me, every step of the way.
You have been the one constant in my life and
for that you are sorely missed.
You’ve looked after me since I was a child,
never minding if I threw tantrums and cried.
We wrote letters, shared laughter, tears and
secrets. You were always there for me in moments needed.

Send our love
to Tatay. I find comfort in knowing that you are together again, just as you
were since the very beginning.

I hope to have
a marriage like yours. So full of love, that you could bear to part only two
short years.
I hope to raise my children like yours. To be
strong and caring as you’ve endorsed.
I hope to have a relationship with my
grandchildren like ours. The closest bond till the last hours.

I love you. You
are my grandmother, our grandmother, a mother, a teacher and never least, a
wife.
You may have left the world but in our hearts
you will forever be, our Nanay.

Rollin' With My Homies

Happy Saturday dear friends. It's bright and sunny and we'll be headed out in a few short moments but wanted to give another sponsor love shout out!

♥

You're all a breath of fresh air!

Meet

a gorgeous mom who loves life, all things pretty and buttons! she's the button QUEEN-

shop vintage and all things beautiful at the lili b. boutique.

scenic glory is full of inspiration and beauty-

rachel is an all time fave! fun and loving!

danielle is indeed spunky and a blast!

ashley is an energetic mama who has some of the cutest kids on the planet-

my best friend jules is an all around vintage, inspirational blog-

LOVE them all and I KNOW you will too-

More sponsor love posts coming up! If you'd like to sponsor Frecks for $20/6MO-you're basically getting 5 months free but the deal ends 2/28.

Have a Super GORGEOUS Day! xo

Be Free in your Panty Hose

♥

today M is on a Concert trip. the other night she had practice at the high school. when she went to get out of the car, i noticed a huge tear in her panty hose. i was dying because i didn't want my baby to be embarrassed. seriously, she only must have worn them one other time {cheap things} but she didn't let it at all bother her. she got out, went to her concert and pretended like she didn't know. i was shocked because she is very self conscience. i see a huge difference in her, especially when she attends school functions.

while she was practicing, Hannah and I head to Target to grab new tights for today's trip. i grabbed the most expensive ones there. the thick ones. but grabbed 2 just in case, packed them for her today and off she went. she's 11. so when i had her try those on last night to make sure everything was set for today, she was pulling them up all wrong. from the top. i mean she got the toe part correct before putting them on but when i saw her pulling from the top, i was like; oh nooooo nooooo noooo. we went through the whole process of how to put tights/panty hose on correctly. let's not rip these new ones.

all i know is that she is going to be 12 this june. she is growing so much. she is gorgeous, break outs and all. when she was at the doctors last week, we got some medicine to clear her face but the pharmacy didn't have the stuff til today. so once her hormones get under control, she should be more free spirited.

to see my first born at this stage in her life is amazing. i never thought these years would have gone by so quickly. at times, i feel like she is still my baby, crawling the floor with her naked hiney in the air.

so whether she has holes in her panty hose or she's rockin' a pair of 7 for all mankind's, she has the confidence that i love and i'm super proud of her.

have a cupcake! i made these yesterday with hannah-our famous vanilla cupcakes with green buttercream-pretty. wilton.com is the best!

Cupcakes

♥

last night i bought more supplies to make our cupcakes! just a heads up-you'll be seeing loads of them;-)

what i love this week

i got this changing table at target for $16. i have no room for it but it will stay in the box until we get a bigger place and do the room i've been so longing to do! i have all of the girls baby items stored away. i plan on getting a four bedroom house soon and making one of them into a sanctuary where i keep all the girls sentimental items, including beds, cribs and this changing table! it will be from all the years-it's basically the best room ever in my mind and i can't wait to actually work on it!

i know i talk way too much about alligators but yesterday they were all out! hiding in mud where you could barely see them. i saw this huge something under the water and went out to see if i could get a better glance from the ground. it was a really big turtle that wouldn't stick his nose out of the water for a minute. just kept swimming right under the water. the neighbors are crazy. this one lady always tells us to be careful. and she says the same exact thing all the time! so we go to a different spot- these two ladies were on their lanai and came out to watch the wildlife. it was amazing to see the baby alligators come right up to us-lay on the rock and then leave us alone. for the most part, we scare them. the golfers go right into the water to grab their golf balls- i still have to figure this out! i would just leave them there but it might be a rule that you have to get them out to prevent pollution but they don't even care, they go right in with a gator right there and the gator swims off.

i barely could tell this one was there. it just blended in so much but after i took the pic could see it was actually one!

miss hannah still stands on her toes while in a non-moving position: 

what do you love this week?!

Daily Photo {Purple Flower}

as we walked the streets today, i captured this pretty!

share a photo

Weekend Wrap

this past weekend was crazy with going out to eat! i don't think i cooked a meal since early last week. it's just been terribly busy! if you shop with your children, you know what a hot mess it is. we had to go shop for some new work clothes for dad and let me just tell you that expensive dress clothes need to be updated at least every six months if not less. the saying, "buy the more expensive stuff, it will last longer," doesn't refer to men's wardrobes.

while we are at the shopping plazas and malls, mom needs a purse because the previous night we had gone to sam's to return that clinical deodorant. he insisted that i would like and i say um, no.....i will stick with my dove. well, the girls and i headed out alone and picked up a spelling book there, went to leave the store and the girl scouts were there. i'm there to support no matter what but digging in my pockets and wallet, i find no cash. credit cards, do not help in these situations. i had given hannah $2 right before we checked out and told her if she was going to leave with the box, she needed to cough up that dough. i had some extra change and the lady let us go with what we had. now that's the reverse of what i was trying to do here! she wasn't supposed to be helping us out, we were supposed to be helping them out!

i ran to the car-we get in and ready to leave. i see bryan's quarters in the little compartment thingy and say, "woooooh! we can go give them more money." this happens to be his stash that the car repair place took 6 or 7 quarters from. Yes. he calls me up to tell me those guys stole his money when they were fixing the car. well. this is something that me and him talk about all the time because we were very extremely CURIOUS if people did that when we dropped our car off. Well we had never really left that many coins in the car but also NEVER counted to actually confirm. Bryan is very detailed when it comes to his money, even pennies,....I KID YOU NOT! so i wasn't with him but he had a stash of over $10 of quarters in the car. He counted before he went to leave the car. He had talked to me about placing a hidden camera in there to put on youtube so everyone can really see what happens when other people take control of their vehicle. i must say in his defense, these car places are scandoulous. they will tell you when you come back that something else is wrong so you have to pay more money. they will brake it too, just to charge you the extra cash. it's quite absurd but true.

so sure enough he tells me some quarters are gone. maybe the guy needed to buy a hamburger, who cares! when it comes to money, i will give it all away, i'm not one to care about it as much as him. he doesn't care either but wanted to make a point. he wrote the number of quarters down on the sheet the man handed him before he signed and left. it was a very small number in the bottom corner of the paper so he wouldn't forget. comes back a couple hours later and looks at the sheet, counts the quarters again and again and there are some missing. he heads in to tell management and of course he is like this never happened before-well DUH! people don't USUALLY count their change before leaving it with a car repair shop! he said he didn't care but they shouldn't have stole even a penny. it's just not right. whatever! nuff said, don't leave your change if you don't want it stolen!

so we place our soda's in the cup holders, run out to give the little girls all our quarters and come back to find one of the soda cups flipped over onto my purse on the floor- HOLY CRAP! my NEW EVO is SOAKED! my CAMERA is wet...this is a crazy HOT Freaking Mess!~ I remain calm because I don't want my kids to feel it's their fault. Wipe everything down and pray my phone still works! it did! what a rush! no seriously. sat in the parking lot forever before heading out! all that for some Girl Scout Cookies and The Thin Mints Don't even taste the same as the Olden Days! Ick!

meanwhile, dad calls to tell us he is headed out to comp usa to grab a piece for the computer this late at night on his motorcycle and we're worried sick. if you know the Fort Myers streets=they are extremely dangerous! many accidents happen every day! we end up still at target to get laundry soap, which i forget anyways because that store has me at hello.

i don't carry any purse with me, i cannot....it's so wet. i have my wallet in my bra! hanging out like my mother did back in the day. i can't find any i like! whatever! i just wanted to go home! b came home safe and we headed out the following day to get the clothing shopping done and the never ending food stops was good but gross. you know what i mean. sometimes it's too much-but 5 guys is a place i will always go back for more.

it was the same adventure the following day and the million dollars i spent on barely anything made my bank call to see if there was fraud charges on my card. i spent $28 on a skirt for M and that will be the only time in this life. I'm not kidding. It's still itching me. I'm a very frugal girl and when i spent that much i was like oh my lawd! Bryan's clothes alone make me go bizzerk. needless to say the shoes never got bought and we are not done with shopping. and NO. we can't go alone! EVER. this is a family trip that happens to need a camera following us to show what an adventure it really is. no lie.

i'm not quite sure why we haven't bought a camper and slept in the parking lot of sam's. we live there. it's quite re-dick! i've been wanting red velvet cupcakes and low and behold, my sam's had them! yum

yesterday was a doctors day! the girls are going through their own things and an entire day spent at the office, getting blood work {my poor baby was a mess} and the pharmacy was overwhelming. not to mention the pit stop to DD. this DD was the only ONE that carries my Munchkin Glazed. I ate a whole box. but it was such a long day that i came home with a huge headache and just needed some rest.

Discovering that my little girl more than likely {waiting for test results} has ADHD is making me really sad! She's been through so much and it seems like more things happen to her. I'm sad to find out more about this and what it does to a child! After a talk with the doc, i just felt smashed in the face all over again! I already told her i was against medication, i see what it does to my nephew and i refuse but at the same time you hear the doctor saying it will never go away and that they need it to learn or their brain just learns to function that way their entire life, leading them into an adult life of not being able to hold jobs or whatever! i'm still new to this and will do as much research as possible and moms if you deal with this please share your experiences! any info would be helpful! love you all lots and thanks for being wonderful friends! i hope you enjoy the week! xoxo

The Look Book- featuring hannah

welcome to a new week friends. we had such a great weekend, we hope you did too. hannah and mom went out in the beautiful sunshine to take some photos for the look book. she has a style all her own. no matter if the shoes don't fit, the headband don't match,....she owns it! and that's what i love about her. i will say, "Wear this," and she's like, "How bout this Mommy."

the condo we live in is perfect for photo shoots. from the elevator to the 4th floor, the views are just breath taking. i set her up on this ledge on the fourth floor-it overlooks one of the pools and our parking lot.

she's wearing the old navy top that aunt sonz bought her for christmas, a gorgeous star key necklace, a black beaded bracelet that didn't fit on her wrist so we pulled it up to her upper arm, plain jean shorts and my flip flops. yes! when i said it don't matter if the shoe fits, i literally meant it! it's very funny because i can fit into my kids flip flops and she just about fits into mine!

i enjoyed doing my fashion thursdays when i hosted my thirsty thursday's over here but it wasn't as fun as this new feature! i'm really going to enjoy this one! i hope you will too. next week will be a feature on M who is very self conscious when it comes to taking photos, she's at that age! and of course mom is gonna jump right in.

have a nice week friends!

always on my mind {papa hughes}

I wrote the following piece as a speech for one of my classes after I lost my grandfather, Papa Hughes in January 2009. To this day, "this moment in time" moves me to tears. I was close to my Papa and everyday I miss him. He was the first close family member that I had (and have) ever lost, and it was definitely a shock for me. So when I read that Frecks was starting this "always on my mind" post, I felt the need to share.

papa and me (twenty-one years ago)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It may sound strange, but my hero is around 3 ½ feet tall. She has hair that is platinum blonde, eyes that are the deepest blue, and a mouth that never shuts up. She is a go-getter and is almost never standing still. She moves a mile a minute and cannot be stopped. She rarely breaks the rules, but she always stretches them. She gets upset, but she rarely has a frown on her face. She likes to claim things as her own, but she is always a sharer. Her name is Jayne, and she is 5 years old.


Not only is she my cousin, but she is also my goddaughter. I was blessed with the honor of becoming her godmother my freshmen year of high school. I was young, but was very excited about my new title. Jayne was a miracle baby; as I like to call her. She was born weeks before her due date and weighed less than two pounds when she was born. My uncle says that she fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. But despite her size, Jayne came out of the womb a fighter with more spirit, personality, and compassion than I have ever seen in one single person, especially at the mere age of five. This little girl may seem like any other kid, but in January 2009 she saved me. Not in the sense of I fell and she literally caught me, but she helped me through an emotional time without even realizing it. Lets just say I owe her one.

My grandfather passed away that January, the grandfather that Jayne and I share. It was the first loss of a family member that I’ve had to experience and it hit me hard. My grandfather was a big part of my life and when I found out that he was no longer with me, I was devastated.

The night before the funeral I can remember sitting in my grandmother’s hallway upstairs reading, trying to keep my mind on other things and my grieving to myself… I don’t like people seeing me upset, even family. Everyone had left me alone knowing I would come down eventually, well, everyone but Jayne. The next thing I knew she was sitting on the floor cross-legged looking up at me. I immediately stopped crying, I didn’t want the youngest of the family seeing me upset. She was only five and she didn’t really understand what was going on… or so I thought.

“Don’t be sad Vicki,” she said to me. “Mama says that Papa is still with us, with all of us.” She said this to me as she placed both her hands over her heart. “He is in our hearts,” she said. I knew she was right, but I struggled fighting back tears, and then she asked sincerely, “How does he get in there? You know, like in my heart? Is he in my stomach because I don’t think he would want to be in there.” I burst into laughter. The kind of laughter that makes you fight for air. The kind of laughter that makes you hold your stomach and rock back and forth. She looked at me like I was crazy, but it was the first time I had laughed or even smiled since I heard the news of Papa passing.

She then scooted closer to me on the floor with a huge grin on her face and said, “Did I say something funny?” and then she started to laugh with me. For that brief moment I knew everything was going to be ok. My innocent 5 year old cousin solved every worry or uneasy thought that was rolling around inside my head. I had never been so impressed with a little kid then I was at that very moment. No one had ever been able to snap me out of sadness like that before. She made me realize that even the littlest gesture of compassion can fix everything.

The rest of the week after Papa passed, she rarely left my side. She had her mood swings, of course, she is just a kid, but she is the one that made the whole family especially me, keep going. Her singing, dancing, and just pure joy of life made all of us laugh and treasure every moment we had together. It helped me come to terms with my grandfather’s death and gave me comfort in knowing that he was in a better place, no longer sick or in pain. Jayne showed everyone in the family that we should be celebrating life rather than grieving.

As a kid we don’t think, we just do, and as we grow older we forget that the world is our playground. Having Jayne as my goddaughter, she has taught me that every moment of everyday should be filled with joy, happiness, and to put it simply… fun. She lives every moment of her life without a care in the world and she is the happiest little thing I know. I’m not saying to neglect all your responsibilities, but I’m suggesting you to find the joy in them… just as Jayne does. Her spirit has shown me there is more hidden meanings to life just waiting to be found. So don’t take life too seriously because no one gets out alive anyways.

peace. love. create. -victoria 

"see you around campus." -papa

thank you for sharing your story-you are truly amazing!

Pool Side

lovely friends! i had such a beautiful time at the pool yesterday waiting for M to get home! once she got off the bus, we layed near the pool, well i did-they swam. it was busy of course-it's golf season galore,...so the drunks were at the bar and the crows were joining the party. i had brought a couple packs of crackers for the girls, set the pack on the stand next to me and walked the place to capture some photos- i turn around and the birds are attacking my stand.....they took the cracker pack, opened it and started at it. WOW!

this bird actually got into the water. was walking around like he owned the shit and i got some of him on video, i have to upload. too funny!

i relaxed and enjoyed the much needed sun.

we had some pink lemonade while the many golf buddies enjoyed cold beer and cigars. ick.

the girls were loving it! what a face, M!

we hope you had a lovely friday afternoon and have an even better saturday! what's the plans....we may go to the beach;-) maybe some shopping for our new outfits! we are going to be participating in THE LOOK BOOK- a new ftlob feature! you should def. come hang! xoxo

also-We Heart Shops is Looking Fabulous-Go Check out the newest Shops!

Happy Weekend

it's beyond gorgeous! we are having such a great time watching the alligators and the golfers. so funny. allie is on the hunt. she's in the water like a wild and crazy hungry turd while baby lays out on the edge. a bird is in the water, hiding. she keeps dodging allie but she's getting closer and closer. the bird finally makes it out of the water and onto a rock. allie is on the edge of the water, swims right by the bird and rememeber the day this bird was telling me to back off, she was doing the same thing with her beak and neck.....back it up allie. needless to say, allie swam on and left her alone. goobers!

hannah lost a front tooth the other night! she feels very naked!

enjoy the weekend friends. we sure are! xoxo

if you are looking for some fun, head to ftlob, that's where all the kool kats hang!

Getting Crafty

ftlob is hosting a crafty swap that some of you may be interested in! it's a fun, handmade trade where you make something for someone, get teamed up and mail it to your partner. then you can post about it and link up so you can share what you got/gave! loads of fun! there is so much going on, if you haven't joined in yet, you definitely should!

weheartit

i'm not as crafty as some other folks but i'm pretty sure the girls and i can whip something cute up! i've been dying to get a sewing machine and just may go for it for this event. can't wait to see what everyone makes! xoxo

Hello Loves!

good morning! hope life is treating you well because you truly deserve! today is thirsty thursday over at ftlob and if you have yet to get over there, you should skip to it. it's growing with more and more fabulous blogs every day! meet some new faces and join the fun!

weheartit

i wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your support and encouragement. each comment you leave, each email you send is truly heart warming! you all know who you are and i don't know what i did to deserve such greatness in my life! you are the creme de la creme.

i wanna sit on a piano like this in the wide open

We Heart Shops- a new magazine

We are introducing a lovely new site for small businesses. If you are a ftlob member you may have already read about this awesome magazine. It's an ad that will feature shops such as etsy, ebay, craft sites, etc to get you the exposure you deserve. The one time payment will get you a lifetime of advertising. Check out more here.

What i Love

ah. it's wednesday and i feel like a million bucks. earlier this week hannah and i went on a very long bike ride. it was a whole two communities but took us over 2 hrs to tour everything. from the construction to the beautiful waters, the beach to the park. spectacular. i think hannah had the best day ever. in the midst, they were having the pga golf tournaments so spectators were everywhere. last year a drunk guy had run over a man on a gulf cart. let's hope they have no accidents this year. it's a busy and crazy time of year.

once we got to the neighbor community, hannah was anxious to find the park. here, we have barely any parks nearby, so when my kids find something as simple as a park, it's time to get happy.

the best part was seeing her laugh and the smile never removed her face. she kept saying this was the best day ever. it unexpectedly heated up so we were unable to stay as long as we had liked due to the long sleeve shirt she had on. it's amazing how fast the sun can come out and heat right up.

the community has a beach in back. it's beyond paradise. really. it's so peaceful.

we ended up riding our bikes for another hour just around the town. it's so funny because i often complain about us being so far from everything. if they would just put a gas station and grocery shop in here we'd be good to go.

hannah's personality is awesome. she works very well by herself creating things. she was ecstatic to show me this. her doll in her block house on her Victoria's Secret Dog! Very Well;-)

i was not expecting anything on V-Day. we are just too busy and right now everyone has a cold, so i just stopped to get him a card a couple days prior and we're at the point {14yrs} where no gift is better than any. we are just happy to be together, healthy and strong. when he came home from work, he was sick,...not deathly but sick enough to where i would never have wanted him to go out of his way to grab a perfume bottle for me. we never even discussed this. so to get a little gift was surprising and lovely. he's too good of a man. seriously.

what do you love this week?!

Wicker Toy Chest

I'm in love with wicker baskets. I have these huge round baskets for the laundry, which btw: i never use for dirty clothes. They are too lovely for that. But I do store blankets, sheet sets in them and just found these wicker storage chests for the stuffed animals;-)

Chocolate Chip Cookies and more goods!

hello yum. since we have been baking so much, we wanted a much easier way out. while shopping at sams, i picked up that huge tub of chocolate chip cookie dough! yeah. that one! holy heavenly. i know i post way too much about cookies but come on. they are the best de-o ever!

i think half the batch was gone before they could actually cool.

i'm def. gonna give these a try. they are featured over at ftlob today. go check them out.

and this delightful dinner looks so intriguing. i'm thinking it should be on for this eve. go check out the recipe here. enjoy!