100th Post Giveaway Winner!!!

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!! I closed out the drawing at midnight Tuesday, and I am just getting around to posting! Bad blogger! Bad! So sorry!

I put all the names in a bowl...............


Had the trusty assistant pull a name and the winner is................

Nikki!!! From The Scarlett Rose Garden. Tell her what she's won Johnny! Nikki is the new owner of this cute little teapot............................

Congratulations Nikki!!!! Please email me with you shipping information so I can get this cute gal in the mail to you!!!

Thank You all for participating and for the congrats on my 100th post!!!

~Heather:)

FINALLY!!! 100th Post & A Giveaway!

I thought this day would never come! Finally!! My 100th post!!!I started off so strong and in recent months it............has.............been.........so.............slow. I guess having a new baby will do that to a blogger!! LOL!!!
For my 100th post I couldn't think of anything super creative so I just decided to do the typical 100 things about myself. I'm not even going to call them 100 Interesting Facts because, honestly, I'm not that interesting! So, here goes............

1. I have been happily married to my husband Marc for over 5 years now.
2. Marc and I met at work. He was in the maintenance department and I was a leasing agent for a large apartment complex.
3. Marc and I got married at a Castle which is now a part of a metro park.
4. We have three children. We brought our first child home from the hospital on our one year anniversary!
5. My middle name is Michele. My parents named me after the nurse that helped deliver me. You really get to know a nurse after being in labor for over 24 hours!! My poor mother.
6. I have an older sister and a younger brother. They both mean the world to me.
7. My favorite colors are red and green.
8. I love to dress in black. It hides everything I slop on myself!
9. I love to cook and bake from scratch.
10. I collect kitchen gadgets like people collect coins or stamps. I can never get enough and my husband knows I would rather have a new dodad that a bouquet of flowers!!
11. I own a rolling pin older than I am.
12. I am 31 years old.
13. I am right-handed.
14. I am obsessed with decorating my home "perfectly". I have been known to paint a room 6 or 7 times before it's "just right". And it took me 6 years to pick out the perfect lamps for my living room.
15. However- I can not accessorize a room to save my life. When it comes to the final touches....I get stumped every time.
16. I am allergic to mushrooms and shellfish.
17. I hate hot sauce and foods that are too spicy.
18. When I get really nervous or upset I break out in hives and laugh at inappropriate times.
19. I freak out if we are down to only three rolls of toilet paper in the house. Literally freak out.
20. I have owned 20 vehicles since I was 18. That's 20 cars in 12 years........you do the math.
21. My favorite vehicle of all was my Cadillac STS. I loved that car and called her Baby Caddy.
22. I have asthma. It started around the time I was in junior high.
23. Since my son has asthma too I only use all natural cleaning products in the house. NO bleach or ammonia products. My favorite cleaning products are Method.
24. My favorite actress is Julia Roberts.
25. My favorite actor is John Cusack.
26. My favorite singers are Tim McGraw, M. Ward and Lesley Garret.
27. My favorite designer is Candice Olsen. Candice- if you are out there I need help with my master bedroom!!
28. My favorite shows are Grey's Anatomy and House MD
29. I wanted to be a nurse when I was younger. Now I have a lot of respect for people in the medical field and know that I could never do what they do.
30. I designed a Barbie Limo when I was about 8 years old and my parents submitted it to Mattel. A little over a year later Mattel came out with a Barbie Limo but I never got any credit. Bummer.
31. My sister and I watched a movie once (Three For The Road) and in the movie the actress ate spaghetti while holding the fork with her toes. Needless to say we rushed to the kitchen, made spaghetti and stayed at the table until we mastered the feat. Gross I know. But fun!
32. I have dyed my hair more times than I can remember. When I was too young for my parents to allow me to dye my hair I used a packet of red kool-aid to dye my hair. I never imagined the color would stick to my scalp and not my hair. Oops.
33. I LOVE using power tools! My husband told me that one of the things that attracted him to me was that I came with my own power tools!
34. I made my own sofa table once. Bought the boards and other materials, drew the plan and tah-duh!
35. I used to do all the work on my own vehicles from changing my own tires and oil to replacing alternators and radiators. Now I don't have the time or the space to do it. I can't even remember the last time I had to pump my own gas.
36. My favorite beverage is Pepsi. More of an addiction than anything.
37. I am also addicted to Krispy Kreme donuts. I swear they put something in those things to make people keep coming back for more.
38. My favorite food.............anything Italian.
39. Other than Krispy Kreme donuts I do not like junk food, candy, etc. Give me some french bread or fresh fruit any day.
40. My favorite time of the year is Autumn. I love the colors, the smells, the fluffy sweaters, etc.
41. I only use Biolage or Aveda hair products. If I use anything else my hair starts to fall out more than is considered normal.
42. I can only use Mary Kay make-up. Anything else breaks me out something awful.
43. I can not grow long fingernails. My nails are super thin and I end up chewing them before they have the chance.
44. I am obsessed with Coach handbags. I LOVE them!
45. When I was younger I wanted to change my name to Samantha. (I loved the show Whose The Boss) So much so that I would write Samantha on all of my school papers and ask that everyone call me Samantha. I think my parents actually considered legally changing my name!!
46. I am weird about ice. I only like crushed ice in my water but have to have cubed ice in any other drink. 4 ice cubes to be exact. Why 4? Don't know...........it's just my thing. I have done it forever. I also have mastered the level of water needed to be filled in ice cube trays so that you have a decent size ice cube without filling them so high that all of the cubes end up freezing together and are hard to get out of the tray. Told you it was weird. Maybe borderline ridiculous but again- it's just my thing.
47. I have to have two cups of coffee in the morning. Actually 2 cups of cream and sugar with a little coffee!!
48. My mother bought me a Martha Stewart cookbook a few years back that prompted my extensive spice collection. I am now up to 68 spices with about 10 left that I am on the hunt for. I decided I wanted to be able to open that cookbook- or any cookbook, pick out a recipe and not have to worry if I would have the spice I needed.
49. I am obsessive about organization and am very much anti-clutter. Disorganization literally makes me itch.
50. I am deathly afraid of spiders and heights. I hate hate hate going over bridges.
51. I love quotes. A couple of years ago my sister made me a book with empty pages so that I could write quotes in it. It's full. Hey O Sister Gorgeous One- I need a new one!!
52. I grew up in a family of hunters- we hunt for the right reasons! My family has a great respect for nature and all living things. I got my first deer 5 years ago- a 10 point buck. I will do a post on that story another time. It was memorable for a reason you would never expect.
53. I have always been shy but force myself to be outgoing. I don't want to miss out on any aspect of life- trying a new adventure or making a new friend. I try and "push" my kids in the same way. I would hate for them to ever look back and say " I wish I would have done that but I was too scared". I try and teach my kids confidence by encouraging them.
54. I hate my freckles............and always have. I used to mix up the magic potions to try and get rid of them.
55. I love to sew but don't ever use a pattern. Mainly because I can not follow a pattern.
56. I have moved a lot but have always stayed in Ohio.
57. I enjoy traveling but usually get homesick after just a day or two. I love my home and enjoy being in my home!!
58. I have held several jobs including: basket weaver, office manager for a car dealership, leasing agent, waitress, preschool teacher, etc etc etc. I finally found my place in the world when I became a mom. It's the best job I have ever had.
59. I love my grandparents..........and I am so inspired by them. They have inspired me and set my standards in life, in working hard, in marriage and parenting, and in serving the Lord. They are the two most amazing people I have ever known and I strive to be more like them.
60. I collect milk glass, silver, dishes, antique/vintage linens.
61. I love cherry wood.............and most anything made out of cherry wood.
62. I love the hollow sound that comes from walking on a hardwood floor.
63. I wear glasses and have an astigmatism in both eyes.
64. I have a big scar on my right knee. When I was 8 or 9 I was at my cousins birthday party and we decided to play in the woods. I was swinging on a Tarzan vine and caught my knee on a tree stump. My older cousin had to carry me back to the house. It should have had stitches but I stayed for the slumber party instead.
65. I am a dreamer. The more people tell me something is impossible the harder I try to prove them wrong.
66. I enjoy writing and reading poetry.
67. I love doing laundry but hate putting it away.
68. I would really like to have 4 children.
69. When my kids are older I would love to adopt children with special needs.
70. I love storms. The rolling thunder, flashing lightening and pounding rain always relaxes me.
71. I have always been a night person but would love to be one of those people that wakes early enough to watch the sunrise.
72. My ideal moment of relaxation is laying on the floor on a cool summer day with a breeze coming through the windows and listening to opera.
73. I hate paying full price for anything. I am a bargain Queen- always on a mission to find cheaper or the ever better deal!
74. I am addicted to Craig's List! Actually I stalk Craig's List.
75. I love the sound of a clock ticking.
76. I enjoy gardening but have never been good at it.
77. The summer I was pregnant with Kyle Marc and I planted an entire garden on the rooftop of our apartment building. We would walk to the garden and pick lettuce, tomatoes and peppers for a fresh salad anytime we wanted!
78. I am a peace-maker and a fixer. Usually I put needs and feelings of other people before my own.
79. I often do not stand up for myself.........I try and avoid confrontation or am too afraid to hurt some one's feelings.
80. I can write in a perfectly straight line without looking at the paper.
81. I get angry when people do not take responsibility for their own actions.
82. I also get angry when people judge others without getting to know them.
83. I love chandeliers and would hang one in every room if my husband would let me. :)
84. I despise late night talk shows.
85. It drives me crazy when you are carrying on a conversation with someone and they answer their cell phone without even excusing themselves.
86. I love my home so much that it takes a lot to motivate me to leave sometimes.
87. For some reason I love the song Golddigger by Kanye West. I love the beat of the music and it puts me in a good mood.
88. I used to vacation in Florida every summer with my family. We would go to visit my Grandpa- my Dad's Dad. I miss him so much.
89. One year my parents took my sister and brother and I to Hawaii. They paid us a dollar to climb to the top of Diamond Head. Looking back I think we got ripped off!! Actually, that was the summer before my 4th grade year and I can still remember the view from the top. Well worth the climb.
90. I hate basements. They totally creep me out. If I buy another house I would prefer it doesn't have a basement. I really hate going into basements.
91. I drive a minivan. A black Chrysler Town & Country. Not exactly a cool vehicle but I can haul a sectional sofa if the back seats are down! It's perfect for yard sales and flea markets. hee hee
92. I color-code the clothes in my closets. I alphabetize my spices, books, videos, etc. It drives my husband crazy........mainly because he never has an excuse that he didn't know where to put something.
93. I am typically the last to get the joke. Sad really.
94. I had my navel pierced 7 or so years ago. I took good care of it but my body didn't like it. It ended up so infected and the skin grew around it to the point that my friend had to pull it out with a pair of pliers. OUCH.
95. I am deathly afraid of needles. My kids do better than I do when it comes to shots or getting blood drawn.
96. I do laundry to relieve stress. If I am really stressed and run out of laundry I will wash things that are already clean. There is something soothing about folding clean clothes.
97. I have always wanted to buy an old house and do a complete renovation.
98. When looking to buy a house I start looking at the century homes but always end up falling in love with a ranch. My husband tells me I always fall in love with the ugliest house we look at. I just think houses want to be loved and feel pretty- just like ever girl does.
99. I want a tattoo. Anyone that knows me laughs when I tell them that.
100. I love buying high heels. Problem is I never wear them because I can not walk in them.

Now, if you have made it through reading the entire list I am impressed. I'm also assuming that you must be incredibly bored and have nothing better to do with your time. If you skipped reading the list altogether to get to the giveaway- I don't blame you at all! LOL!!!

Now, for the giveaway- all you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered into the drawing. If you do not have a blog- no problem. Just make sure I have contact information so that if you win I can let you know.

This is what you will win........................

Isn't it cute? This adorable vintage teapot is so much cuter in person than the picture shows. All dressed up in red and white she is just waiting for a good home! So, just leave me a comment! I will draw the winner this coming Tuesday!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Heather:)

House Hunting...Err, Stalking

Marc and I met on his lunch break to look at a house today. I had already had a doctor's appointment set up for Bella so we decided to meet our realtor there before the appointment. Marc and I have been stalking this house since May. We are constantly checking the MLS for "our bargain" and about mid-May I found this one. It was late at night so I called our realtor the next morning, she called to get an appointment and the house was gone! Well, the house was still there but the listing wasn't. And no one knew what happened. Hmmm. So, I did what any house stalker would do.......I checked the county auditors records three times a week waiting to see if a transfer of title could be found. Nothing.
Three days ago I checked the MLS again and didn't see anything exciting. The next day I saw the house! It was back on the market. I emailed our realtor and set up the appointment for today. Why am I so excited about this house- or any house in this market?? Well, there are several reasons. Number one is the price. Number two is that it is within 6 miles of all of our doctors- and when I am running with Bella 3 or 4 times a week 6 miles is perfect! Third.........Marc and I have always wanted to buy an old house and renovate it. I have dreamed of doing a complete remodel on an old home probably since I was twelve years old. Marc has been in the construction, renovation and maintenance fields for the last 20 years. There is nothing my husband can't do, repair or build. He is amazing. And I'm pretty darn handy too, if I do say so myself.
So, here's what you get for $26,000.00.



Yes, you heard me right. 26 G's baby! A three story colonial built in 1928. It has three bedrooms, 1 full bath, a full basement and a third floor walk-up with potential. Newer windows and siding within the last four or five years. Solid foundation. And NO! It is not in the ghetto. Far from it. The county records have it appraised at $109,900 in it's current condition.

Oh! What's that? No, not the gutter.........and no, that's not blue icicles hanging from the roof. That's a tarp. But we'll get to that later.

This is on the side of the house. Ivy EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! I had a great conversation with the next door neighbor who told me as much as she could about the house and answered all of my questions as well as she could. She even told me she feared that the ivy would sneak over and take over her house!! There is A LOT of ivy. But it is very pretty.

This is the back of the house. And more ivy. The ivy is covering the one car garage.

Tiny little back yard. Perfect for me who hates to mow............

Driveway to the left of the house....................

Now we go inside. Are you ready?? This is where it gets exciting...............

Welcome to the living room. Yes, that is the ceiling in a pile on the floor. Demo IS DONE!!

Bella was TOO funny. Clear through the house she kept saying "Yuuuucky! YUCK! Oh WOW!"

Look at these cute arches! At first I thought that paint was peeling from the walls but later realized the whole has had been wallpapered and the wallpaper was falling off the plaster!!

A view of the fireplace wall...............

Front window that leads to porch...............

A little peak hole into the staircase. I'm thinking a stained glass piece custom fit for the opening??

Ugly pink coat closet................

Ceiling laying on the floor............

Isn't that a great fireplace!?!?

Close-up of living room ceiling.............

Living Room and Dining Room floors are............mountainous! Can we say water damage??

Not a huge deal though. Next up is the dining room...................

Check out that chandelier!!!

Gorgeous!!!!! And made out of copper!

The built-in china cabinets are equally as beautiful. Just look at the scrolled trim........

Moving into the kitchen...................

Again- demo is done! Well, started anyway!

Breakfast nook/butler's pantry.........Apparently they did take everything BUT the kitchen sink!

This is the part I LOVE!!! This is where the range goes. Look at that arch!! I think my 36" 6 burner stainless steel range would look great here!!

For the kitchen I see white cabinets, marble countertops, black and white 1" hexagonal tile on the floor, period lighting fixtures and stainless steel appliances. Can you see it?

Now, let's go to the basement...............

I have to admit I am terrified of basements. Absolutely terrified. Spiders live there. However this wasn't all that creepy. I was actually surprised by it. It wasn't bad- as far as basements go. And there were treasures hiding down there....

Look at that stove!!!!! The realtor and I squealed we were so excited by it!

Now let's go to the second floor. First bedroom on your left............

The master.................

I have always loved the look of exposed brick. But I'd at least like it to be real brick! LOL!!!

All original hardware is still in tact! Love the glass knobs!

Pretty hole in the ceiling.............. wrong place for a skylight I think.

Here is the only bathroom in the house. It actually isn't terrible.

Still trying to figure out the two toilets though. Interesting.

This is the third bedroom. Complete with bright red carpet and an entire wall of cork tile. I kid you not. Classy!

If you go through the master bedroom closet you will find a staircase. Let's explore, shall we?

Holy square footage Batman!!!

Bonus!! After looking around carefully we found no holes, no damage to the roof that would explain the blue tarp. The neighbor said the bank sent someone out to winterize the house last September and covered the roof as a precautionary thing. At least that's what she was told. Who knows............we've never heard of that before.

We guess that there is another 300 or so sq ft of usuable space up here. A private oasis for mom and dad? An office..........a craft room...................a place to hide from the kids??

Oh! I almost forgot. In the bathroom there is ivy coming in through the window. Told you the ivy was everywhere. Sneaky stuff!

And once again outside on the front porch. The beadboard ceiling...................

Beautiful brickwork railing.................

Me. Awful picture- but hey, it was like 30 degrees with snow and sleet that just happened to be pelting me in the face. But I am happy despite the weather. I'm smiling because I think I just found my house...................

My husband's thoughts you ask?? Well, he thinks his wife is on the Looney Train headin' to Crazy Town!! But I have a feeling that he will be in line to get his boarding pass real soon.

When walking through this house most people would see a mess, filth, an impossible feat. I see potential. I see something my husband and I can build together. I see an investment for my children's future. I see a dream unfolding into reality. Most people would say it's not worth it. I say you can't put a price on a dream.

So what do you think? Am I crazy for wanting this house??

~Heather:)

And The Winner Is..............

Last night I closed the giveaway and prepared for the drawing! I wrote every one's name on a piece of paper and threw them in a bowl.



And then my trusty assistant helped me draw a name...............

He took his job very seriously......

And after he drew a name Miss Bella started to cry. She felt that she was being left out of the game and was broken hearted. What's a mom to do??? Kyle looked at me and said "I'm gonna draw the winner and Bella's gonna draw the slowest winner. Then everyone will be happy!"

Well, TWO WINNERS IT IS THEN!!! (although I'm not sure what a "slowest winner" is- we'll go with it!)

She was very serious too and excited to participate- although I'm sure she had no idea what the point of this was!!! LOL!!!

Okay kids! Let's reveal the winners!!!!!!!! Kyle drew...................

Shannon! Shannon has a fantastic blog called Bless Our Nest.

Miss Bella.................who do you have??

Seems she is trying to build suspense!! Show us the name Bella............

Kim! Another fantastic blog- Kim's Treasures.

Congratulations to both of you!!! Do you want to know what you have won???

First, BOTH of you win a Melt Your Heart Snowman!! But wait! There's more!!

You also win a pair of earrings. The pair that you said was your favorite!!

Shannon- you get the green Round-A-Vue earrings............................

And Kim- you get the Spearmint earrings!!

Betcha didn't realize you were picking your own prizes, did ya ladies??? LOL!!!

Okay Kim and Shannon- send me an email with your mailing address so I can get your prizes shipped off to you! kybella26@yahoo.com

For everyone else- Thank You all so much for participating in my first giveaway! This was so much fun I want to do it again- soon!!! LOL!! Hey................I think my 100th post is coming up soon...............ahh yes...................another giveaway opportunity!!

Hope you all feel like winners today!!!

~Heather:)