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:)

Cali's Room- Part One

Life with three kids is a little crazier than I had imagined. I used to be able to get things done- both the "needs to be done" and the "would like to get done". Nowadays when I do have a spare minute all I want to do is sit down and just breathe. The problem is, when I do sit down to relax, I can't. I feel guilty for not getting something done, and I look around and see all the things I would like to get done.
Cali's room is the perfect example here. We moved Kyle out of this room and into his "new, special big-boy room" over a month ago. Granted, I have been cleaning and sorting through years of collecting and, well, just stuff! Once I finally cleared the majority of the room I was left with only the things that will actually stay in Cali's room. I have been keeping the door closed in an effort to forget that it is there. Forget all of the work that still needs to be done, forget painting the walls, forget making the curtains, the bedding, etc etc etc.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am very excited to give Cali a special room and my heart leaps at how cute it will be when it's done. The list of things to do and make for her room seems endless though. Instead of breaking it up into small tasks I have been looking at the big picture and I have overwhelmed myself. So, I decided to do something drastic. No, I am not hiring anyone to do it for me. I am going to post a weekly (or more) update of my progress in that room. I am going to MAKE myself do this so as to motivate me by means of making myself accountable. Accountable to you all. Accountable to Cali. Accountable to myself. Accountable for the sake of a put-together-finally home. So, here goes.............

I am SO excited first of all with this dresser! This was given to me by friends of ours who used to work in a hotel. It is a hotel dresser. I scrubbed it inside and out and then lined all of the drawers with contact paper.

Now, before you go and think I have completely lost my (decorating) senses I will tell you why I am excited about this. I wanted a window bench in Cali's room. Something with storage underneath. This dresser is the perfect width, depth, and height and lines up right under the window! And it is super sturdy!

And this is what I have done with it so far.......................

I made a little ruffled skirt that wraps clear around it and hides the faux oak finish. Now, the window bench is not done yet............I still have to get my foam padding for the seat part AND sew a cover for it AND finish all of the pillows. I want lots and lots of pillows!!!

On each side of the window bench will be shelving for Cali's books, baskets of toys, etc. I already have two matching lamps (Won the pair for $5 on eBay!!) that will sit atop each bookshelf.

I have already started sewing pillows for the window bench and for her bed. I plan on getting a white iron daybed which I will show you in another post. First, the pillows............

I only finished four pillows today. But four is a good start. I LOVE and ADORE this bunny fabric. It is so whimsical and fun!!

Cali's room really won't have a theme. I don't really care for themed rooms. However, with the fabrics and accessories I have purchased over the last several months I am seeing a pattern.................lots of bunnies! Overall Cali's room is going to be light, bright, girly, fun and cozy. Lots of small details but nothing that stands out more than the other. It will be like a little surprise every where you look!

Aren't they cute??

I want her room to have longevity. Especially since it is taking soooooooooooo long to make everything!! LOL!!! So far her window treatments are done but not hung. I don't want to hang them until after I have painted so I will show those later. Plus, they feel like they are still missing something so I will have to ponder that for awhile. Window bench skirt is done, pillows are started.................................. and still so much to do! Better go get busy- I have a lot to do before next weeks post!

AND DON'T FORGET!!!! If you haven't entered the drawing for the giveaway yet- go to the previous post!! Get your name in there!!!

~Heather:)

Earring Launch Party!! AND A Give Away!

Have you ever been to Kentucky? My earrings have. Let me explain. My sister and I have an Etsy store that we are just getting up and running. My sister made 102 fabulous pairs of earrings to sell and mailed them to me to list. Well, after 3 days I waited. After 5 days we got a little concerned.............after 8 days we went into panic mode! I called the post office and filed a missing package report. A few days later I received a phone call. Our package ended up in Kentucky. Apparently if you flip two numbers in my zip code it becomes a Kentucky zipcode!! A few more days of waiting and my lovely postman delivered the much anticipated box of earrings. Whew!! What a relief. So, we decided that this happy ending deserved a party. Uh huh! An Earring Launch Party. No, we aren't going to launch 102 pairs of earrings into the air or anything. Sorry to disappoint you all. We are "launching" our new earring line! Sounds so New York fashion, doesn't it?? LOL!!
Anywho, here's the deal. You can go to our Etsy store 2sisters1love and until December 15th when you purchase 2 pair of earrings you will get your third pair FREE!! Just convo me with the items you want with the code "HHLAUNCH". I will make up a custom ad just for your purchase!Now, my pictures do not do these earrings any justice at all. They are SO much cuter in person.

Now for the GIVE AWAY!!!!!!! Yeah, I know that's what all of you want!! LOL!!! All you have to do is go to the Etsy store (2sisters1love) and come back here and leave a comment. In your comment let me know what your favorite item is in the entire store and what pair of earrings you like the best. It's just that simple. Now, here's where it gets cool. IF you tell a friend about this give away and they come here and leave a comment and tell me that you sent them- you will be entered into the drawing AGAIN! If you send 5 friends, you are entered 5 additional times........if you send 50 friends, you are entered 50 additional times. Pretty neat huh? Yes, shameless advertising for me too but hey- I do love a give away too!!

Listed below are just some of the MANY items you will see in our store. The give away prize is top secret for the winner but I will tell you.............................the prizeS are all from our store!!!
Good Luck and Have FUN!!

The winner will be drawn this Sunday!! What are you waiting for?? Hurry up and get your name in there!!

~Heather:)

I Think I Need Some Sleep

I have no pictures
I have no post
My kids have stopped listening
My parenting skills are toast

I think it's time for super nanny
I've fallen in to that trap
Do you think she'd watch my kids for me
While I take a nap?

My dishes are dirty
My house is a mess
My daughter's picking her nose
My son is wearing a dress

I can't remember my last shower
My hair's a stranger to a brush
My chores are piling up sky high
And my husband's in no rush

Don't know what I'll make for dinner
Or if I even will
Don't know what's in my bank account
And I need to pay some bills

The phone is ringing off the hook
I'd answer if I could find it
Probably that car salesman again
That man's a persistant twit

The washing machine just ran over
The dryer smells real hot
And I am supposed to remember to....
Hmmm....already forgot

Had to buy some groceries
The cupboards are quit bare
My grumpy kids and lenghty list
Don't make a real good pair

Then Santa reminded me today
36 days until Christmas
He sparked a smirky smile
That made me almost cus

I'd like to depants Santa
In front of all the crowd
Teach him to intimidate me
We'll see then who's laughing loud

That man will learn not to mess
With a woman overworked
A mom who's had no sleep in months
I'll surely teach that jerk

I know that time is ticking
I know I'm under the gun
And pretty soon it will be down
To three... two... one

I'll scrub my house and clean my kids
And bake up pies galore
I'll finish all that laundry
I'll even mop the floor

I'll take that needed shower
I'll even fix my hair
I'll put on all my make-up
And pretend to not have a care

I'll have the turkey roasted
And the table will be set
With all the finest china
My guests needs will all be met

Every detail will be tended to
No matter how mundane
And my guests will never know
I have almost gone insane

I will not stress this holiday
On my lip I will not chew
I'll pull it off again this year
Cuz that's what women do!

~Heather:)

Catching Up

More like trying to catch up! I am so far behind on my blogging, posting, visiting it is embarrassing...............and somewhat stressful. I have been busy! I am still dealing (struggling) with clearing out what will be Cali's room. I found an organization that accepts donations of children's items and housewares for single mothers who need help so I have been going crazy. I think we now have a truckload to give them. Seriously. The woman is picking the stuff up on Monday. The room will then be ready for paint. Woohoo!!
I finished listing items on my Etsy store for now. You should see the beautiful earrings on there! My sister has many talents...............of which I am envious.
This past Monday we took Bella to a pediatric Rheumotologist. After making the appointment with this doctor over a month ago I kept wondering.............why does his name sound familiar?? Monday when we met him I thought................why does he look so familiar? About half way through our appointment I found out. For months and months I have been researching online and reading article after article on the FAPA Syndrome, cyclic fever, periodic fever, fever of unknown origin, etc. The doctor that originally headed up this research back in the 80's has a Fever clinic in Washington at the NIH- National Institute of Health. It is one of only two fever clinics in the entire United States. They specialize in kids that have periodic fevers like Bella and there is an 18 month waiting list to get an appointment there. I tried last year but there is also a list of criteria you have to meet. We hadn't been to enough specialists at that time. Anyway!!!! In talking to the rheumotologist (Dr H) I started quoting something from a study that I read months ago in order to question him on something he had just said. Dr. H not only finished the sentence but the next two paragraphs! I looked at him perplexed and he said "I wrote that. Where did you read it? WebMD?" And with probably the most stunned look on my face I replied-"Ummm, yeah. That and the multitude of studies done by Dr. Daniel Katsner.............." Again he cut me off "That's my mentor." I about fell out of my chair! He proceeded to tell Marc and I that he flys out to Washington once a month to work with Dr. Kastner in the Fever Clinic at the NIH, hold seminars, do research, studies, etc. and that he is probably there more than he is here. In fact, several of the articles I had read were written by this man. I might as well have been in the room with my favorite celebrity!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually, to me, he was a celebrity. Marc and I looked at each other and started giggling like we just woke up to a puppy on Christmas morning. We felt like we had finally arrived..... we were in the presence of someone we know will find the answers we have been looking for for so long!!!!!!! And the angels sang!
Dr. H ended up spending and hour and a half with us. We discussed Bella's entire fever history, showed him calenders, journals, family medical history, her chart from the pediatrician, answered lots of questions and came up with a plan.
Dr. H was concerned with Bella's hearing and communication skills as we have been. He wants her to go back to her Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for an in-depth hearing test. IF they find hearing loss Dr. H will test her for Muckle Wells Syndrome. Also, for diagnostic purposes, we will administer a dose of Prednisone at the beginning of her next fever. If the Prednisone aborts the fever we know it is FAPA and what further tests need to be done. She goes back to her ENT on November 25th. So now we wait.
After we were done with the Dr we took Bella to the cafe and got her a snack before heading home. I think she enjoyed the alone time and 100% attention from mommy and daddy! What she didn't enjoy was biting into that bitter blueberry in her muffin!

So we moved onto chips! Yum! Much better........

And then we enjoyed some time in the Skywalk......................

Bella was fascinated that the cars and trucks were going under us and she could see them as they disappeared from one side and appeared on the other side!

Look Mommy Daddy! WOW!!

After a long day at the doctor's we headed home....................and Bella fell fast asleep.........

Some exciting news! Cali learned two new things this week. She has been working so hard to get that thumb in her mouth..............

And then Monday night she got it!!

Marc and I were so proud of her! And I think we must have snapped 50 pictures.

Then last night she decided to be more independent..................

And hold her own bottle!!! Marc and I were rolling! It was too fun to watch! Again, another 50 pictures. I am still nursing Cali but she gets one bottle at night to fill her belly so that she sleeps through the night. Funny thing was, she knew she was cool. She would suck on the bottle and then stop to look at us and laugh!

Those little hands...............................doing big things. She loves to stand with help from Daddy.

And is now sitting up with support. She doesn't even slump forward, but not quite able to do it on her own. I'm not ready for her to be doing that yet! Why can't they just stay babies longer?

Oh Bubbles................slow down and let mommy enjoy you.

Have a great weekend everybody! Stop by Tuesday..................and tell all of your friends..............
It's gonna be goooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!

~Heather:)

The Princess & Her Frog

Could it be??? Two posts in the same week?!? Mamma must be gettin' her game back! LOL!!! I am only about a week late for this post but still wanted to share our Halloween with all of you! We had a great time. We went to Marc's Aunt's home and did our trick-or-treating in her neighborhood. She has a son 11 days younger than Kyle and this was their third Halloween and Trick-or-Treat together. She also has a son a year and 9 days younger than Bella. He is perfecting his walking skills and is very independant! As you can imagine it made the journey a little slow-going but it was a good time had by all. Marc, his aunt and I took 5 kids-4 and under- trick-or-treating and were amazed at how well they did! We were so proud!!
Since the night started fairly early and we were rushed to pick Marc up from work before heading to his Aunt's I got the kids ready here.
Bella was a princess this year. Of course she is a princess every day -but she was dressed in the official costume on this particular night!! I didnt want her to have to deal with some heavy or awkward crown thing so I got creative..............


And came up with this....................

Boy was it hard to get her to stand still for these pictures!!!!! I adorned her precious crown with a fancy headband, wrapped her hair in a lose bun, and then decorated her with irridescent butterfly barrettes! It turned out so cute!

Kyle went as a frog again this year. While I was clearing, cleaning and organizing closets a couple of weeks ago he saw his costume from last year and insisted he go as a frog again this year!

We had been to about 7 houses when a woman said "Awww, the princess has her frog! What a great idea!!" I was like "Oh! Yeah! I totally planned it the way!" Not. Pure coincidence. I'm too tired to be creative that way but apparently it turned out anyway!! hee hee

Daddy chasing Bella in an attempt to get all the kids lined up for pictures......

And as you will notice........we never did get a picture of all of them together!!! Marc decided to get in on the fun and steal his Aunt's wig.................

He looks like a guitarist from some 80's rock band!! Before we left our house Kyle told me that I needed a costume. When I asked him what I should be he told me a cat. So, with 15 minutes left before heading out the door, I painted my face with eyeliner and donned a black outfit thinking that would satisfy Kyle. Not so much. After drawing on my face he told me I looked like a mouse and told me I needed ears. He went running down the hall to Bella's room and returned with two pink cuffs from Bella's dress-up trunk. His gears were turning and I could not believe what he came up with...........I even had a tail!! Can you imagine the looks I received driving down the road like this?.....................

Uh huh! Mousey Mommy. Cali's first T-or-T!!! She even had a costume- which you cant really see! We found a dainty little sleeper with ballarena shoes sewn into the feet!! So cute! Hey Heidi-notice anything??? We use that blanket you made all of the time!!

Here's Bella truckin' through another yard! It was so fun to watch her this year. I don't think she quite got the whole idea of the night but she was sucking it in as much as she could- and living it up! I really wish I could have read her mind..........................Okay, I go and knock on someone''s door and when they open it I look cute and hold my bag open and they give me candy?? Seems weird but Whatever! Let's go to the next house and see if it works there too!! And my mom says never to talk to strangers?!?! why not!? Seems perfectly fine to me!

After the kids treated for enough candy to last them half a decade we went back to the house and let the kids play for a bit and eat some of the treats they earned........

This is the only picture I got of Kyle and Bella together...................

And the only picture of Cali's costume. I can reinact them, right?

She was a happy girl all night. She loves being outside anyway but she got so excited everytime we passed under a street light.............so she was excited most of the night!! LOL!!!

Mommy, Kyle and Bella posing happily, of course!! More like Mommy trying desperately to hold her kids for half a second for just one shot while they wrestle out of my arms to go feed their sugar buzz..........

All the kids played so well together despite how tired they were. And before we left Kyle decided that he already knows what he wants to be next year....................

AARRRRRR Matey! Yes, a pirate. But something tells me that unless I donate the frog costume you just might see him in it again next year. That's my boy.

Hope you all had a fun time!!

In other news: We sold our house!!!!!!! We are thrilled. We signed the closing papers a couple of weeks ago and all went smoothly. We did take a substantial loss on it but know that in the long run it will be worth it.

Bella just finished another fever. This one came just three weeks after the last one. Not good. Her temp reached 105.2 at one point and took 2 hours after Motrin to come down to 101!! On top of that she has a virus, as does Kyle. Everyone is having quite the time right now dealing with illness but we are hanging in there!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!!

Hugs,

~Heather:)