Minimalism Envy

So I am a Gemini....this proves true in so many aspects of my life. The latest area is that of my home/cleaning or lack of cleaning really....I have such a desire to PURGE and have a space that resembles this....

but then again I love cozy and eclectic and can totally dig spaces such as this

Oh and speaking of bookshelves....I could do prob a whole blog post on just how much I adore bookshelves especially built in bookshelves like this above (and how clever to have that curtain to pull and hide them away if you choose?)....and also like this....

and this space would make me super happy

and how rad is this shelf?!

So as I was saying the Gemini thing hahaha....although I have a desire for everything to have it's place I also have my side of me that likes STUFF. I need to find the happy medium! I am thinking of this as first action plan....REMOVE all papers and anything not absolutely needed from our main floor of our house to either the basement or the garbage/recycling bin. This will help me feel organized and tidy but then again I will have to just go to the basement to deal with it.....decisions decisions...the buying of rubbermaid bins is much needed to organize the STUFF we already have but we have been better about ridding ourselves of said STUFF.

I am totally thinking out loud in my blog here so don't mind me ;) It is just one of those afternoons where the wheels are turning and I am trying to type to keep up and make sense of it all haha....

As I was searching out the pics above I did find my next MUST DO project...ya ready? Check it....

I want to do these (well not all of them but something like one of them at least!) in both the girls bedrooms and gosh dang it maybe every room in our house LOL!

The last example would prob be the easiest to execute as all it is are spice racks from Ikea! I mean how genius is that?! I could see these being used in my craft area too!!! Oh so many possibilities!

So there ya have it a peek into my mind today that has gone from how I need to get organized to constructing book shelving in my girls bedrooms to shelving in craft area....hey at least shelves have to do with organization right?! 

30 Days of Lists- COMPLETE!

Here are my final lists I did for the 30 Days of Lists challenge! This was so much fun. April 1st I am starting the 30 days of music challenge so stay tuned for all the songs that make me go "hmmmmm"

List 28 Prompt Vacations to take

List 29 Prompt: Fave foods

List 30: Today's To Do list (I just did a general to do list not necessarily all for today!)

Nutella Hazlenut Spread=YUMNESS!

I was so excited to be asked by MommyParties to host a Nutella party! And my co-workers were even more pleased about it! If you have not tried Nutella you need to go grab a jar from the store NOW! It has an almost chocolatey peanut buttery taste to it! It is made with hazlenuts and tastes just divine in anyway you can think of!

My fave thing to make with it so far are banana rollups...I slice a banana and lay it in a flour tortilla that I have spread with Nutella, roll it up and it is the perfect on the go breakfast!

My co-workers loved their Nutella Swag Bags that had really nice travel mugs and of course a sample of nutella in them! They also had recipe cards and a nutella spreader!

What I thought was really neat is that none of my co-workers had tried nutella before! So not only did I get to surprise them with free goodies they also got to try something delicious that they have never experienced before!

Thank you so much to both Mommyparties and Nutella for letting me share the delightful joy that is

Nutella Hazlenut Spread!

Feeling accomplished....

even on this lazy Sunday! I love days like this and the only thing that sucks about them is wishing to have more of them just like it!!! So far today I have....

1. Showered then immediatley put grubby worn sweatshirt and baggy fleece pants on (no bra of course!)
2. Grabbed my Sunday coupon inserts and put them into my file box (oops still need to label them for easier organization)
3. Played a lot with Lainey (I swear she is turning into the funniest cutest little person ever!)
4. watched some Off the Map and Survivor that we had on the dvr with the hubbster
5. Washed all Gabby's bedding (she sleeps with an insane amount of blankets and stuffed animals etc so it took two loads!)
6. did todays 30 Days List :)
7. then one of the biggest accomplishments was I went through ALL the blogs I follow then actually bookmarked them in folders (craft blogs, recipe blogs, and just general fave blogs) that way I can check the ones out I really care about more often! So often I miss so much since I follow so many that may not always be important to me (depending on the day and how much time I have!) So anyway this was HUGE for me and so happy I did it!
8. tried Lainey's new SUPER cute swimsuit on her and took a few pics (need to go exchange it for one size bigger so I pray they have it tomorrow when I go!)
9. watched Gabby shake her groove thang to some Just Dance and Just Dance 2
10. ate too much peanut butter cup ice cream (UGHHHH why did our friend leave this behind?! I usually do not even indulge in much ice cream but it just sounded good today and I devoured it!)

Things I still want to accomplish today.......

1. print Lainey's thank you cards out so I can write them out this week!
2. finish up some laundry
3. make Gabby's bed
4. work on Project Life!
5. maybe pick some coupons out for a rite aid trip tomorrow

30 Days of Lists: List 27

Prompt today was: Lessons I have learned....

30 Days of Lists: Day 26

List 26 Prompt: Books I want to read this year

30 Days of Lists: Lists 23-25

List 23 Prompt guilty pleasures

List 24 Prompt things I make lists for

List 25 Prompt I would rather be doing.....

Thank you Momo and all my new Followers!

Just wanted to say thank you to Momo from Made by Momo on her great following linky set up :)

I plan to locate you (my new followers!) all by this weekend and make sure I check out all your blogs and follow you back as well! So happy to be "meeting" new people :)

Happy Crafting!

30 Days of Lists: Days 21 and 22

Day21 Prompt: This Spring I will....

Day 22 Prompt: Today I saw.....

30 Days of Lists: Lists 19 and 20

List 19: Prompt Recipes to Try

and I would totally cook and bake more if I had that amazing stove ;)

List 20 Prompt Celeb Crushes

and just in case you are wondering who these fine men are....
Jude Law, guy from Men in Trees and various other shows, Ryan Gosling, Mark Wahlberg, Heath Ledger (sigh), Matthew Mconahottie, Ryan Reynolds, and Timothy Olyphant

Lainey's 1st Birthday Party

So mommy admits it I totally dropped the ball on birthday prep! I waited until last minute and decided to order a printable kit off Etsy....the kit is super cute and owl themed (of course)....well 10:30 pm the night before your party is when I decided to start actually printing and cutting out decor....this ended in tears from mommy and going to bed without finishing. I went to Target the next morning and Target saved mommy's behind! They had adorable metal bird plant stakes in their dollar section that I bought enough of to put into your cupcakes I had ordered. I sprayed the cupcakes pink and put into adorable flower wilton cupcake liners. Placed them on our tree cupcake stand we have and voila your cake!

I then needed favor bags for all the little kiddos. Target again saved me by having cute pastel planters in their dollar section I snagged up and in each one I placed pastel colored candy (yay for Easter candy being out already!), pastel glitter pencils, pastel colored fun dough, and pastel bug themed silly bandz bracelets into each little bucket (pink for girls blue for boys).

We had your party at a pizza place that lets you use the banquet room for free and we just had to purchase pizzas and pitchers of pop for all. This worked out easy and was under $80 so not bad AT ALL!

I think you had a pretty good time since there was not one single tear and you gobbled up your pizza and your birthday cupcake (especially the frosting; you are definitley mama's girl as that is my fave part too!).

You were so lucky to have gotten so many nice presents! So many new dresses and clothes, board books, a cute Eric Carle ladybug, a toy jewelry box, a wooden push toy, a leapfrog electronic first book, etc....

Mommy and Daddy and Gabby got you (on your actual birthday since your party was the Saturday after your birthday) the Fisher Price Gumball machine and balls for it, and the Fisher Price Learning House.

Your Uncle God Ginge (aka God father friend of ours we call Ginge) spoiled you rotten and got you Yo Gabba Gabba plush (3), Yo Gabba Gabba megablocks set with musical boombox toy (blocks are for when you are over age 3 but the boombox you love now), Yo Gabba Gabba bath squirters, and a super cute Little Tikes purple trike!

Lainey is 1 year old!

To say this past year went by fast is one of the hugest understatements ever! I swear I was just pregnant?! It has been a bittersweet time for me seeeing you turn 1 my love. Not only did you turn 1 but you also got much better at walking and weaned yourself from nursing all in the same week! Did you mean to break mommy's heart?! I cannot look at you without smiling and/or getting teary eyed. I swear you are the most beautiful little baby girl! Your cheeks are just amazing and pair that with your piercing almond shaped blue eyes and perfect little bow mouth and I just want to gobble you up!

• Walking almost always now
• pulling self up to stand without holding onto anything
• saying "dog" "mama" and "dada" and just after turning 1 you started to say "ta" which is Daddy's version of please/thank you
• Dancing to any music but especially Yo Gabba Gabba tunes
• Giving sister your HUGEST smiles
• Jabbering away and making facial gestures to help express yourself
• eating almost anything sat in front of you
• drinking cows milk now even straight without breastmilk mixed in
• using only sippy cups no bottles or breast
• playing shy with almost everyone but you do give Aunt Katie some smiles too
• fave toys include fisher price peek a blocks and especially the farm for them, fisher price peek a balls (?) and gumball machine (you love putting blocks and balls and whatever else into containers), little bath squirter toys you love to carry around in your hands, board books (your collection is growing greatly!)

1 Year Stats
Height: 25%  28 inches
Weight: 50% 21 lbs 5 oz
Head: 25%   44.5 cm

Tara Plays With Paper: Review and Giveaway!

Are you looking for a fun and personalized gift for someone else or yourself?! Let Tara Plays with Paper come to the rescue! Tara sent me two of her tiles and they are just sooo cute! She also sent a nice silver chain they can go on and easily switch out tiles to match what I am wearing :) These are the two designs I was given that I just adore...

Tara is a stay at home mom who has recently ventured into a home business making adorable necklace pendants and magnets out of clear scrabble type tiles. She has many to choose from and is happy to make up custom ones! Just message her and let her know what you have in mind and she will work hard to accomodate you!

She also offers many autism awareness designs such as these....

Want to win your choice of a pendant or magnet? Tara has offered up one of my readers a chance to win one of their own! Here is how! (Put a comment for each entry you do please) Giveaway ends on Friday April 15th!

1. Follow my blog and let me know
2. Put my blog button on your page and link me to it
3. Follow me on twitter and share this giveaway (link in corner of post)
4. Follow Tara Plays with Paper on Facebook
5. Like Tara Plays with Paper on Etsy
6. Tell me your fave design in Tara's shop
7. Tell me who you would be wanting to win this for

30 Days of Lists: List 18

Prompt: Things needed for a road trip

30 Days of Lists: List 17

as always I thought of additional words to put on this after the fact....I gave myself a no going back to edit rule though as then I will never feel done and I need some projects to be DONE in my life hahaha!
Stay tuned for major catch up blogs being posted throughout this weekend!!!

30 Days of Lists: List 16

And here is today's list :)
Prompt: Things to see in your town

30 Days of Lists: Lists 1 through 15

Here they are in order...my lists for the first 15 days of the challenge :)
If you would like to see others please check out this blog 30 Days of Lists and then go check out the flickr pool :)

1 Prompt: About me

2 Prompt:What I am Good at (sadly breastfeeding ended 9 days after this! But I was great at it for a full year!)

3 Prompt:What I am looking forward to

4 Prompt:Today's Playlist (I usually pick online alternative type stations based upon bands I enjoy)

5 Prompt: Every weekend I hope to accomplish...

6 Prompt:Most hated words

7 Prompt:Blog Goals

8 Prompt:In my bag

9 Prompt:Fave websites/blogs (I of course thought of loads more after I did this list)

10 Prompt:Wishes

11 Prompt:Date Night Ideas

12 Prompt:Weekly Rituals

13 Prompt: DIY's I want to try (again thought of loads more after this!)

14 Prompt:Things I love about....

15 Prompt: On my shopping list (for this week so far)

And there ya have it my first 15 lists for the 30 days of Lists challenge :)