Shutterfly love!

Let me just show some love for Shutterfly! I've been creating books for years through Shutterfly, and it's that time of year again...the time that I spend hours going through pictures, uploading pictures, changing backgrounds, moving around photos, and adding captions...but I love it! I have made at least a dozen or so books, my most favorite of all being the 8x8 hard cover albums. The quality just can't be beat!

I'm so in love with their beautiful invitations and cards. The bad thing? They are all SO cute, I don't know what to choose! I did use this Shutterfly first year invite for Sadie's first birthday. How cute is that?? I am torn on what to use for a Christmas card, though. I'm loving these! There are so many options-in size, folding or non-folding card, and number of photos. And have you seen the calendars you can make? What an awesome gift idea!

This year, I'm eager to get started on books for me. That's right. ME. I've been spending hours and years on making these beautiful treasures for everyone else. Now it's my turn! : )

Check out their awesome promotion going on now here!

addicted

oh, so addicted. Like I can't stop. I can't get enough these days:

kits kats (cause they're yummy)

etsy

ali edwards

diy blogs

I am proud to say that I am keeping up on my December daily, so far, this year. If I do one again in the future, I think I will leave the numbers out of it, and add them later. That way I can skip days if I want. It's coming along nicely, though I'm having a heck of time trying to create a text box as a circle in word (so that the words make the circle). I used to know how to do this. I'm stumped. Oh well. I'll make it work somehow.

Let me just say, I have this awesome feeling about this. I'd love to keep up on this type of scrapbooking (I suppose, much like the 365 idea, or Project Life) but I can't see myself sticking to it for a year straight. I sure do like the concept, though.

As for do it yourself blogs, I think I want to be a carpenter, or at least be handy with a couple of tools. Check this out. I must make these!!

where oh where did my baby go??

My baby is ONE.

She was not particularly interested in eating the cupcake.

But, wow! She LOVED the singing of "Happy Birthday". What a ham. We even sang it twice while she laughed and clapped excitedly.

Family picture.

A picture the day after her party with all her wonderful presents. What's this? Clothes that AREN'T hand-me-downs??? And she loves her ride along pooh toy and a bear that plays peek a boo. The purple Leap Frog dog is ADORABLE--you plug it into the computer and choose your child's name and songs. So this puppy says, "I love you, Sadie." And it sings the "Sadie" song..."S-A-D-I-E!!" It's sooooooo cute!

POTD

Okay, so I haven't quite been part of the Picture of the Day every day of the year (all those 365-ers out there!!) But if I was doing one a day, this one is hilarious, at least for me.

Here is a picture of my odometer on Tuesday. The long running joke for a few years was that once I hit 70,000 miles, I would get a new vehicle. I was really mad I didn't have my camera when I hit 70,000 exactly. Apparently back then (okay we are talking like 2007), either Mike thought I would never get to 70,000, or he underestimated how long it would take. Well, as we got closer to the 70,000 he changed the number I had to reach to get a new car. First 100,000 now it's 270,000. Haha. While I have my new car all picked out (in my dreams!),

our lovely beat up minivan will do for now.

Mike says I should work on getting matching dents (the front and rear are in shambles, too! Pathetic, I know, that this car is only 5 years old!!) And I can almost with 100% certainty tell you if my car had been running when I took that odometer photo, I bet the gas gauge was on "E". Typical me.

Beware

Anyone else find it a problem that I can't walk into a room without crunching some cheerios beneath my feet?

Or that there is play-doh stuck to the table and floor? (at least it's easier to vacuum when it hardens)

Or that my laundry to fold and to do pile is as tall as the washing machine?

Or that there are dust balls lurking in almost every corner of the house?

Or that there are moldy pumpkins adorning our porch?

Or that the costumes are looking lovely sprawled all over the kitchen table?

Or the mudroom should be renamed as the dumping grounds?

Or that you can barely walk into the garage? Thank you shout out to: boat, motorcycle, a myriad of bikes, trikes, balls, and scooters.

Sigh. And hosting a birthday party this weekend means cleaning the house all week. Wish I could count on nice weather to have an outside party!!

At least I have a getaway weekend with a few gals soon. How ever will I pack and plan for that with all the cleaning that must be done??