Early Birthday Gift

Ok, my new boss...and now dear friend...is, how shall we say, a "fan" of Twillight.  More specifically, Jacob.  And it may be a tad inappropriate to post this super yummy picture of Jacob on her very professional blog. So, as my gift to her, I'm posting it her for her continual viewing pleasure.  Oh, and mine too.  Cuz, hello!  Have you seen the dude????  SMOKIN'!!!!!!!

Eclipse starts tomorrow night!  Who's goin'???

Super Fab Giveaway!!!

The TomKat Studio is having their BIGGEST! GIVEAWAY!! EVAAAAAAAAA!!!!  (Say that like Oprah.) We are giving away the Silhouette Craft Cutting Machine.  It's like the Cricut, only a gazillion times more cool!  You hook it up to your computer, and do it all from there.  And, my favorite part....you can use your own fonts!  Which is awesome cuz I {heart} my fonts. 

Anyway, head on over to my second home..The TomKat Studio....and enter to win!  Super duper easy.  We will be drawing the winner June 30 at 11pm.  Don't delay!  Enter today!!  I sound like an infomercial.  Here are a few things that Kim whipped up...

And if you win, can I borrow it?  Being an employee of TomKat excludes me from entering.  Not like I'm sad about that cuz I have the COOLEST JOB EVAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Look Who's 1!!

A year ago today, we were blessed with the sweetest baby girl......Emmi Chase!  It has been so much fun watching her grow and experience life.  I have lots of nieces and nephews, but none of them live within 5 minutes of me like little Miss Emmi does.  I get to see her so often, and squeeze those little cheeks as much as I want!  And soon...I get to experience Miss Emmi's first trip to San Diego..and the ocean!  Cannot wait! 

So, Miss Emmi....thank you for being the sweet little girl that you are and for making me laugh every time I see you!  And never, never forget who your favorite Aunt is.  :)  I love you!!

Oh, by the way....Little Miss Emmi won the Most Adorable Birthday Girl contest that I blogged about here!  Duh!  Of course she did! 

Bethenny's Getting Married?

Why do I love this show?  What is my fascination with her?   

 I want to have lunch with Bethenny Frankel.  

Why? 

 I'm a sad, sad person.

Good News & Bad News

First, the bad news....I never heard from the winner of the Hopscotch Kids giveaway!!!  Sad. 

But the good news is that I drew a new winner!  And that winner is.........drumroll please.......

Jody Pacheco Murchland!!!! 

(This is SUPER fun cuz Jody is a dear friend of mine!  And I swear, it was a totally random drawing.  See proof below!!)

Congrats Jody!  Email me and I'll hook you up!

Multiply Delicious

I woke up to a new comment on Tuesday.  I love it when that happens.  It was from Heather and she commented on my post about my new FABULOUS JOB THAT I LOVE WITH EVERY OUNCE OF MY BEING.  She left some sweet words, and mentioned that she too, is a mom of twins.  She left her website address, and I thought I would find another blog like mine, filled with the tales of mommyhood.  Well, it's that....and then some. 

Multiply Delicious is an ADORABLE website for Mommies, and contains all sorts of goodies!  Recipes, ideas for kids, ideas for moms, and some of her "random thoughts".  I simply love it.  It's very organized, and is filled with so much information!  So, when you have a minute, and you want to check out a new site, pay them a visit.  Tell her Toni sent ya.

Personalities

My kids are so close in age.  Especially Courtney & Connor....hardy har har....one minute apart!  People have often asked me if they have similiar personalities.  And no, they don't.  And here is a little story that will show the distinct differences between my three darling children.....

We were at church.  Our services had ended and I was still in my classroom with the young women I teach.  Outside my classroom was Hugh talking with our good friends Bonnie & Kamon.  And then came the kids...one by one....

Connor:  Hey Dad. Hey Kamon & Bonnie. {insert knuckle punch to Kamon}.  Do you know where Mom is?

Dad:  She's in her class.  She'll be right out.

Connor:  Ok.

CONNOR'S PERSONALITY:  Extremely laid back. 

Next comes Courtney...

Courtney:  Hi Dad.  Hi Bonnie & Kamon {insert hugs to both}.  Have you seen Mom?

Dad:  She's in her class.  She'll be right out.

Courtney:  Ok.  I'll wait.

COURTNEY'S PERSONALITY:  Patient.  Kind.  Polite.

And...then there's Caitlin...

Caitlin:  Dad!  Dad!  Dad!!  {Jumping up and down}  Where's Mom?  Do you know where Mom is????

Hi Bonnie!  Hi Kamon!!!  Dad!  Where's Mom??

Dad:  She's in her class.  She'll be right out.

Caitlin:  OK!  Cuz I want to go home!  I'm STAAARRRRVVVVVING!  Let's go!  Where's Mom!!!!

CAITLIN'S PERSONALITY:  She's me.

And the winner is.......

Comment #15...Crystal!  Crystal said:  Bumble gum is sooooo cute! It is my four year old's fave color!

Congratulations Crystal!  You are going to LOVE these nail polishes!!!  I just painted my girls' nails with it the other day and it's so SHINY!  I love them!

Drop me an email, Crystal and I'll get you in touch with Hopscotch! 

This was so fun!!! 

And if you still want to order, Ginny is offering a discount to you guys of 15%!  Enter Chase15 at checkout.  You can find Hopscotch Kids here....

HK is growing and is coming out with new products soon!!  I'll keep you posted, and maybe Ginny will let me do another giveaway!!

Adorable Birthday Girl Contest

My Miss Emmi is one of the top 10 finalists in the Adorable Birthday Girl Contest sponsored by The Creative Hostess.  Please take a minute to vote for her!!!  It's super simple and literally takes one minute.

I mean the cheeks!!!  Really!  How can you resist!

Please vote here!

A Vision & Some Elbow Grease

I don't have a lot of vision....but I'm learning!  And as I am in my learning process, I look around my house and see some things I want to change.  For instance, my behind the couch table, and it's matching counterpart - the coffee table.  We've had both of these since we moved into this house in 1995.  They are still in great condition, but I don't like the color anymore.  Just blah.  We bought a gorgeous tv stand type thingy back when we re-did our entertainment center area last year.  It's a dark blackish brown and I LOVE IT.  Now, I want my two tables I mentioned before to match.  And I want Hugh to do it.  He is the master do-it-yourselfer.  (Really, it's kind of freaky how much stuff he knows.)  I've mentioned it in passing a few times, just to get him used to the idea.  But, now I'm really going to demand  encourage him to do it!  Should be simple, right?  And I found just the right website to help him become inspired!  It's called BetterAfter.  I've seen this blog before, but was redirected there again today by Amy at Stem when she wrote a post about it. 

Here is a sample of what they showcase on this blog:

Before:

Ewwww....ugly.

After:

Gorgeous!!

WOW!  I (meaning Hugh) can do that!!!  Now, I just have to convince him.......