I CANNOT BELIEVE IT FINALLY HAPPENED!

I don't think many could understand the excitement in my house this morning when we woke up to snow.  SNOW!!  SNOW IN ARKANSAS, NOT ICE!!!!  We have about 4 inches right now and it's still coming down!  I still can't believe it.  What a wonderful day!  I know many of my blogging friends have been getting snow for several weeks and are ready to pull their hair out from being cooped up in the house too long (I may be the same way by Wednesday).  For now, I am soooo happy to spend the day dressing (clothes, gloves, hats, etc.) to go outside only to play for 15 minutes just to come back in and undress and put everything in the dryer for the next trip outside.  The boots/shoes are lined up in front of the fireplace and I have dried the living room floor of melted snow SEVERAL times today.  We have made hot chocolate and had tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch.  We have built a sad little snowman.  We have had a snowball fight, several actually.  Sadly, we don't have a sled (did I mention it doesn't snow much here?), but I am seriously considering taking a Rubbermaid tub lid to the top of the hill behind my house and hurling myself down on top of it.  Maybe I'll try and cookie sheet.  That's really sad, isn't it?  Talk about your "southern backwoods engineering".  Ya make do with what ya got! 

I'm thinking homemade chicken noodle soup for supper!  YUM!

E getting ready to pelt me with a snowball.

L happy to stomp around in the snow.

C and Emme, the 5th child.

Okay, I'm off to boil a chicken.  Thanks for checking in.  I hope everyone is having a good day!

NEW VALENTINE'S KITCHEN TOWEL

Well, I was starting to feel really terrible about my lack of Valentine's decor.  Everyone has such cute stuff and I had....nothing.  Ya see, my house is only 1500 sq. ft and when you are a family of six, that's not much space.  So, I don't have a lot of storage space to put things I can only use for a month or so out of the year.  That being said, I thought hearts can be used year round and red is one of my favorite colors... so, I made this:

Nothing to cutesy and I got to use my beloved Michael Miller Dandy Damask and polka dots too?  What could be better?  It's not much, but it's better than nothing. 

Look at that cute little polka dot heart.  It's heat set, but I didn't satin stitch or zig zag so it'll fray just slightly over time.  I love that!

Okay.  That's it.  I'm linking up with Frugalicious Friday , Tater Tots and Jello, Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered , Making the World Cuter and DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land..  I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!

SHOW US YOUR LIFE - BEAUTY TIP - CURLING YOUR LASHES

Today I'm hooking up with Kelly's Korner for beauty tips.  I can't wait to check it out.
I LOVE makeup and beauty products.  I should have been a beauty editor.  They get to try all of those new products for free!  I would LOVE that! 

This beauty tip is all about longer eyelashes, or curled lashes.  A friend of mine told me about it last year.  We were sitting in the school office and she was putting on her makeup before school (she's the secretary) and was complaining about not having her hairdryer.  I was VERY confused because her hair was dry.  Then she explained that if you heat your metal eyelash curler for a few seconds with your hair dryer, it like a curling iron for your hair.  Oh My Gracious!  GENIUS!  I have seen heated eyelash curlers in magazines and on the internet for $35 - $150.  I don't think so!  Free is much better!

Heat metal eyelash curler for 3-5 seconds with hair dryer before your curl your lashes.  Immediately apply your favorite mascara.  My favorite is Voluminous by Loreal.  I've tried all kinds and always go back to Voluminous.  Be careful not to burn your eyelid.  Good luck!

ANNIVERSARY DATE, PANCAKES AND FREE DEAR JOHN MOVIE

Hey!  WOW!  Two posts in one day.  That's strangely productive of me!  Anyway, I just wanted to share that yesterday was my anniversary (well, mine and my Hubby's - not just mine).  Nine years with the love of my life.  YEA!  So, my aunt kept the kids so we could have a night on the town.  WOO HOO!  I wore my cute jeans and boots and my new scarf and cut plaid coat from VS.  I LOVE that coat!  I wore makeup people.  I got to be a girl.  It was such a good day! 

We went out for breakfast to Cracker Barrell.  They have the BEST pancakes EVER!  Then we went shopping and we bought a new armoire for the kitchen (more on that later) and after we picked up the big three from school and dropped them off we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (at 4:30, just like the old folks who can't drive after dark) and then to FREE MOVIE.  FREE!  We had free tickets to the Dear John preview.  It was so good and of course I cried like the big ole baby that I am.  It comes out Friday.  I highly recommend it!  AND, Channing Tatum is BEAUTIFUL!  Sorry the picture is so out of focus, but trust me, he is BEAUTIFUL!

WHY MY BLOG ROCKS?!?!?!?

Well, it's blissdom time!  The parties, the speakers, the Harry Connick, Jr. - I mean WOW!  That man is pretty and he can sing!  Well, the party sounds good, but I don't have stacks of $$ laying (or lying?) around to take a trip, NOR do I have anyone willing to spend a few days with all four of my kids for free (and just for the record, if I had either of those things, I'd be headed to Hawaii with my Hubby for a few days anyway).  So, on the bright side, Amanda at Serenity Now is having McLinky party!  Find it HERE.  I am supposed to list five reasons why my blog rocks.  HMMMM!  Does my blog rock?  I don't know.  I hope so.  I'm not one of those extremely confident people with parents that lead them to believe that they were the greatest thing on he face of the earth (unlike some of those American Idol tryout kids that apparently were told they could sing really well from the day they were born -  EEEK!) therefore, this is a little uncomfortable for me.  Which brings me to my first point:

1.  I HAVE LEARNED TO EMBRACE MY INNER DORK AND IT'S KIND OF FUNNY, I THINK.

I, in my old age, have learned that it's okay to be a dork.  I am accident prone (Hence my nickname, Grace) and scatterbrained and am constantly doing things like accidentally allowing my 3 year old to lock herself in the car, in her carseat with the keys.  Everyone does dorky things like that, but I share all my crazy adventures with you.  Sometimes it'll make you laugh, sometimes cry, sometimes you'll feel look you are the coolest kid on the planet because you aren't quite as dorky as I am.  That's okay too.  Either way, my dorkiness is entertaining.  I tell my Hubby that "it's part of my charm".

2.  I TRY TO POST AT LEAST 5 TIMES A WEEK AND I LOVE A GOOD LINKY PARTY. 

Generally, I post the days my Hubby is working.  His days off vary so you can never tell when I might post something.  Lots of people don't post on the weekends, but if he's not home...I post.  I also post if he's all caught up in some boring sports commentary that I care nothing about, but that's a whole post in itself.  Also, I'm lovin' the McLinky parties going around.  I love the Before and Afters, Fruaglicious Fridays, etc.  I'm even thinking of hosting a few myself.  I love a good recipe swap and beauty tips as well.  My face is so dry I look like I'm molting.  I'm in need of a good moisturizer suggestion and I have a few good tips of my own.  I would LOVE to get that going!


3.  I AM CRAFTY AND  I LOVE TO DECORATE.

I love to craft.  I don't always have as much time as I would like to craft, but I do love it.  I love to try to make my own artwork as oppossed to spending a lot of $$ to buy something.  I love to search for new ideas and if I find something cool, or make something cook, I am all about sharing.  I love to decorate although I am no expert.  I love to share ideas and get everyone's feedback (sometimes I need opinions because I'm not very decisive).  I love all kinds of decorating.  Decorating and sewing (I make kids clothes) are my latest obsessions. 

4.  FOUR KIDS INCLUDING ONE WITH AUTISM

Kids are funny and cute, aren't they?  Well, I have four of them.  I am not now nor have I ever claimed to be an expert at raising them, but I try my best.  They say and do the funniest things.  One of my kids ("L") has autism.  I am very open about autism and it's challenges, and things that have worked for us.  It is NEVER dull at my house.  Loud, yes, dull, not so much!

5.  I AM YOUR NORMAL, EVERYDAY, SOUTHERN GIRL. 

I am NOT the southern debutante kind of girl.  Some of the blogs I've read are by ladies that frankly, I would be intimidated to talk to in real life.  I am not that girl.  I grew up in a small town and I like it that way.  My blog may be full of "y'all" and "taters" and other southern slang.  I don't have perfect grammar and I love a good run-on sentence, but like above, it's part of my charm.  I love all kinds of people and all kinds of blogs.  Like Oprah always says, "I love to see how other people live".  Come see how your typical southern girl with four kids lives.  It's never boring. 

Okay, that's it.  That wasn't as bad as I thought.  I did it!  YEA!  Okay, I'm off to tackle my couch full of clean laundry (y'all do that too, right?).  Can't wait to check everyone's blogs out. 

Walking Through The Screen Door Back In Time

I was iced in for most of the weekend, so I had a pajama weekend day.  I did laundry and watched a few movies.  I loaded up my DVR with movies.  Hubby had to work on Sunday so I settled in to watch one of my beloved Hallmark movies. 

I think it was called Valley of Light.  It was about a soldier coming home from the war in the mid 40's.  It was a good movie, but mostly I loved noticing the things of another era.  The 40's fashion, including those little aprons women ALWAYS wore, the great cars (I LOVE antique cars) and most of all, the screen doors on everyone's houses.  Isn't it funny how something as simple as a screen door slamming can take you back to another place and time?  I immediately was taken back to being about twelve years old and going to my great-grandmother's house.  It was the house where my mother was raised.  It was a simple three bedroom house in the country.  My cousin was just a few years older than I and we often planned visits during the summer months.  My cousin and her parents lived in the house with my great-grandmother.  This place always fascinated me.  There was a front porch and a back screened in porch, each with a screen door.  I always wanted to "dig for taters" in the garden, which my cousin did a lot and hated.  I LOVED it!  It was like finding buried treasure (I LOVE potatoes).  We played in the old smokehouse.  We played on the big iron bed on the back porch.  We explored down the dirt road and in the pasture and barn.  We played barefoot in the front yard, spraying eachother with the waterhose and avoiding the sweetgum balls that were so prickly when you stepped on them.  We ran in and out all day long.  "Y'all quit slamming the screen door" Mama Keith would hollar at our backs.  I can still hear her voice calling from the kitchen as she and Aunt Nell peeled the potatoes for supper.  That is what a screen door reminds me of, a fun, simple day in the country, with family and good food.

I ventured to our local Habitat for Humanity resale store a few weeks ago.  It was my first visit.  The back room was full of light fixtures, toilets, etc. but on the back wall there stood a row of doors.  Some paneled, some plain, some hollow with holes in them, but in the middle was a white screen door with peeling paint.  It was five dollars.  I wanted it so badly, but I just couldn't seem to figure out what to do with it.  I knew if I brought it home without a plan for it, my hubby would give me the look.  Ya know, that where in the world are we going to put that thing look?  Do ya ever get that look?  Anyway, my mom pretty much gave me the same look when I told her about it.  I do realize it's not a practical thing to have a screen door when you have central heat and air, but....surely I'll think of something.  Until then, my beloved white screen door sits in the back of that store just waiting for me to come claim it.  Someday. 

Rug Indecision - HELP!

There are some things in life that I am good at (surely, there is, right?), but there are LOTS of things I am not.  One of them is jewelry.  I'm terrible with jewelry.  The second is hanging things.  I'm terrible.  I have no confidence when in comes to hanging things.  My sweet sister-in-law knows to come hammer ready when she visits from Texas.  I always have something for her to help me hang.  She, on the other hand, is excellent at both jewelry and hanging.  The third thing I admit to not being good at, is rugs.  I'm just not good at it.  Mainly, because I am soooooo picky.  I tend to go for something kind of plain.  I love pattern and color, but it's just one of those weird picky things for me.  I have a hard time finding anything I like.  They're usually soooooo busy that it's just too much for my little brain to handle, so I just don't fall in love with rugs. 

Having said that, this is what I had in mind for the living room. 

Nothing fancy, just a sisal rug with a simple border, red like this is what I had in mind.  I looked at Target, NOTHING.  I looked at Wal-Mart and they were out of the red.  I found another rug I like and thought it was pretty.  It had all the colors from the living room and adjoining kitchen (which will soon be red....IF I ever find a good red)   AND, it was $79 as opposed to the $149 at 20% off Potttery Barn rug above.  HMMMM!  So, I did what my niece used to say, "Buy it and bring it home" (she was three at the time and was referring to a new toy or DVD, but it fits).  So, this is it in my living room. 

I think it's too close to the colors of the paisley loveseat, don't you?  Should I go back to my original idea of the sisal with the red border for more contrast?  -OR- should I start all over again?  HELP! 

Also, I am aware that I need to make some pillows, etc. for the couches.  I'm just trying to get the rug picked first and do a little at a time.  It's so........void of color in there, except for my gold walls.