Favorite Creative Inspirations...

Today I thought I would share with you some of my favorite online places to visit for inspiration when I'm feeling crafty-artsy or just want to look at pretty things.

Miss Lovie @ www.missloviecreations.blogspot.com is upbelievable at just about most crafts, but she rocks it out when it comes to jewelry.

www.cottonandcurls.blogspot.com has some super cute stuff!

www.cluckclucksew.com is an amazing quilter and I love some of her sewing projects.  She's even inspired me to try one of her quilts that she assures is simple (we'll see I guess).

http://www.stitchedincolor.com/ -Sews like a dream, and while I could never make the quilts she makes- it still inspires me to break out the sewing machine to create something- even if my projects are smaller and simpler!

My all time favorite spot to sit down with my hot tea and warm blanket and veg out for a while is Meg's site @ www.megduerksen.typepad.com - This lady Loves Christ and is so talented it is crazy!

Of course- I also love Pinterest- but really- who doesn't?!

Well, I'm off to my Mom's Pray Group!

Have a Blessed Day!

Honestly...I'm flattered!!!

Rachel at Sweet Angel Memories, who is super sweet and kind, passed the Honest Scrap Award to me. Thank You Rachel! I am so excited and flattered that you would think of me!

The requirements are that I have to list 10 things about myself and then pass it on to others. So, here we go...

1. I love blue cheese dressing! I know some people find it to be kind of gross, but I like it!

2. I love the movie The Goonies. It might be one of the greatest movies ever! I mean is it really any wonder that Steven Speilburg is such a rock star?!

3. I played college basketball for 3 years and was miserable the whole time!

4. I always wanted to be a cheerleader...Go Team!!!

5. My favorite food is Thai food! It is wonderful and so much better than Chinese!

6. I went to 3 years of college, then went to comsmetology school, and now stay at home with my children...I finally got it right!

7. I'm addicted to The Biggest Loser...I want them all to win!

8. My husband and I grew up together, dated for 2 years (on and off) in high school, went our seperate ways in college, and then got back together when I moved back home after college. Dated 5 months and got married, and lived happily ever after (most days anyway!)

9. I am a firm believer that laundry is the devil or atleast of the devil!

10. This week I am planning on cutting my hair like this...

I'll let you know how it goes!

Okay...I hope you learned something you didn't know before and weren't bored out of you minds to much!!!

Now here are my picks for this award...Keep it goin' girls!

Pop Rocks for Breakfast

Ducks in a Row

Seriously

Down Memory Lane

Blue Eyed Blessings

My Chihuahua Bites

Go on over and congratulate these ladies, and have a great night!

What's in my Purse (or luggage is more like it)...

Okay this is the deal...I was tagged by Rhonda at Down Memory Lane and someone else (it has been so long I couldn't find the comment telling me) for this bag game about a week ago (I know, I'm ashamed!).

Anyhoo, I'm finally getting around to it. Sorry it took me so long, but better late than never I say!

Here are the rules for the tag:

1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying today - not last weekend when you and your hubby went out to that fabulous restaurant. No cheating!!!

2. Tell us how much it cost. This is a no-judgment zone -- there will be no ridiculing or eye rolling here. And, if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

3. Now tag some fellow bloggers and link back to this post so people know why you are posting pictures of your bag.



Here she is...isn't she a beaut! My mother in-law bought her for me for Christmas. She (the purse not my mother-in-law) came from ALDO (which if you have been visiting long, you know is my favorite store). I think she cost around $35 or so (it was a gift so I can't be sure). I Love her though!!!

Here is what she is carrying for me today...

1) a cute hat to keep me warm
2) my journal/book of everything
3) a water
4) hand sanitizer from Bath and Body works (it's great stuff that is safe for kids)
5) a broken phone for Ruthie to play with
6) a cup to fill with water
7) torn out pages from a fashion magazine (for inspiration you know?!)
8) some unspent gift cards
9) one baby shoe (where's the other one?!)
10) Bible study for Sunday School
11) a spoon (I was eating yogurt okay!)
12) book- Shopaholic Ties the Knot...one of my favorite books!!!

I am supposed to tag some people...I tag:

Rachel at World of Wynn
Dawn at Three Clones and A Lady
Julie at Just What are those Woods up to?
Lori at Double Shot of Espresso
Malisa at God is Good all the Time
Kim at Truth is better than Fiction
Sarah at Work in Progress
and
The Rambling Gal

They say that you can tell a lot about a girl by the contents of her purse...I think mine says I'm a slob that needs to clean her purse out more...

What does yours say?

A few of my favoite things...

Here are some of my favorite things... great hubby and 2 beautiful children...How blessed am I?!!!

How beautiful is he?...

I know right?

I think I might be one of the most blessed women ever!

I love you Nolan, Kane, and Ruthie!!!

How super special!!!

My friends Jen at Tatertots and Jello, Julie Isa at Tattered Threads and Willing Hands, and Christie at Pop Rocks for Breakfast are so sweet and they chose to award me with an award...this has made my day and I feel so special! Thank you so much ladies!!!

If you have never visited their blogs you should head on over and check them out...

Jen is so fashionable and sweet, with a loving heart and a beautiful family.

Christie loves her husband and daughter and is always so good to say praising words about both of them which is always so uplifting to me. She is a sweetie (and she shares my love for shoes)!

Julie Isa is a loving, kind lady that loves God and is always so good to leave kind comments for me. And I love her blog it makes me think of Home and Garden Magazine, which I love btw!

1. The rules of this award are:Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Heidi at Blue Eyed Blessings
Lori at A Double Shot of Espresso
Shawn at The Trotti Times
Lacy at A Sparkle and A Smile
Heidi at Sacrad and Profane
Rhonda at Down Memory Lane
Leah at Live Life Simply
Kim at Truth is Better than Fiction
Rambling Gal at Rambling Gal
Sarah at Work in Progress

These are all wonderful ladies that are funny, kind, loving, family oriented, and special in their own ways. I am so thankful that they have opened their lives up and allowed me to take a look in. There are days when reading these ladies' blogs make me feel like I am not alone in many of the things I go through as a mother, wife, and just a women. Thank you girls for all your words of encouragement and support!

You're all super special to me, and I am so excited to be a part of the Sisterhood!!!

Things I Love that start with "L"...

I have made this wonderful new friend, Lacy at A Sparkle and A Smile. She is so sweet, sassy, and fun! I was visiting her over at her little corner of the bloggisphere the other day and she was doing the funnest thing...a tag post. She was doing the letter G, and it looked like super fun...So I joined her and she as tagged me with the letter "L". So I am now supposed to name some of the things I love the most that start with "L". So here it goes...

Things I love that start with the letter "L":


I love: LOVE. Isn't it just great!

I love Bath and Body Works: Lotion



I love: Laughing!

I love: Lounging around


And I love: these 3 Lovely faces (I know that's stretching it, but cut me some slack)!



If you would like to join in the fun just leave a comment letting me know and I will pass a letter your way! I hope you all have a Lovely day!

And the Nominees are...

I am so excited! I have been given a blog award from some of my wonderful new blogging friends from around the world (okay, maybe not world, but not from down the street either!).

This is so great and makes me feel so special! I LOVE BLOGGING, and things like this are why. I mean what other hobbies do we have where we are able to connect, encourage, be encouraged, support, and make super great friends with so many wonderful women?!

Anyhoo, here she is...

...isn't she beautiful?!!!

She stands for GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE.

My 3 new and great friends Lori at A Double Shot of Espresso, Rachel at Sweet Angel Memories, and Ashley at Ashley's Adventures were all kind enough to choose me for this honor. Thanks you girls!

I get to share my award with 10 of my bloggy friends. So here they are in no particular order...

Marci at All Things Wonderful
Lacy at A Sparkle and A Smile - she's got a sassy new hair cut and color! I'm lovin' it!
Rambling Girl at Rambling Girl - I'm not sure I've ever seen her real name.
Dawn at Three Clones and a Lady - when she says clones...she means it!
Sarah at Ten Years, One Girl, Two Boys
Martha (aka Yvette) at Moments with Martha
Shawn at The Trotti Times - She is super Sassy, and I love it!
Heidi at Blue Eyed Blessings
Jen at Tatertots and Jello -
Kim at Truth is better than Fiction

Chosen ones: Please follow these instructions and share the LUV!

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show GREAT ATTITUDE and/or GRATITUDE

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received the award.

Thank you again! And I want you all to know that I love reading your blogs and am so thankful for all the wonderful comments and encouragement that you all leave for me on a daily basis! You are always making me feel so special and good! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

Friend Makin' Mondays...

...is a new segment I'm going to be starting on Mondays, and this is how it will work (or at least I hope):

Every Monday I will give different directions for a different activity to be done by each of you on your own blogs. It could be anything from answering questions about yourself, sharing pictures, really anything that helps us to get to know each other and support each other better (don't worry it won't ever be anything too personal).

Each Monday I will give directions for that week's activity. You will then make your own post on your own blog following the directions I gave for that Monday.

You will sign up for each Monday's activity through Mr. Linky which will be found at the bottom of all my Monday's posts.

Here are the only rules for each week:

1) You must always link back to my blog "All that is Good" on your "get to know your fellow bloggers" post

2) If you participate you must sign in with Mr Linky so that people know where to find you and know you are participating.

3) I know it might not be possible to visit everyone that participates but you must commit to visiting at least 2 others fellow bloggers signed up with Mr Linky and to comment on their post.

My hope is that through this we will all be able to find new friends that we can get to know and share common interests with. I don't know about the rest of you but for me blogging has become more than just a way to let our family know what we are up to. It has become a way to encourage and to be encouraged. I am so thankful for all my new blogging friends (I hope to make even more through this), and I hope to get to know you all even more. I think this will help! So I hope you will join me!

Here is this weeks activity:

List 10 random things about yourself that people might not know or you just want to share:

Me:

1) In the winter I maybe shave my legs once every 2 weeks (my poor husband)

2) I never sleep in socks because my mom always told me when I was little that my feet needed to breath (like they have a nose or something).

3) My nose runs 24/7 whether I have a cold or not (it's super annoying)

4) I only use bars of soap to wash because for some reason I don't feel clean if all I use is body gel (liquid soap).

5) I will not wear something before I will iron it.

6) I can't call my husband "baby" I've tried and it sounds stupid coming out of my mouth (he's just "babe" to me)

7) When I'm really cold I cover up with a blanket, take my blow dryer and blow it up under the blanket to warm myself up (my husband hates it when I do this).

8) I can't go to bed and relax if I know the house is still messy (it will make me crazy).

9) Hot dogs and bologna disgust me (there is something not right about your teeth slicing through a piece of meat quite so easily).

10) I plan most of my days around my meals (when, where, and what)

There you have it! Sign in with Mr Linky and it's your turn!!! I can't wait to learn 10 new things about each of you!

I hope I win!!!

My bloggy friend Jen at Tatertots and Jello is in Hawaii this week (I'm so jealous) and she found some super cute stuff while shopping there, and she is so super fun because instead of keeping all her Hawaii goodness for herself she is giving some of it away in her Hawaii Giveaway!!! Yyyaaayyy!

As you can see it's some super sassy stuff! So go check it out (even though I can feel that I am going to win!)!!!

Everyone have a great weekend!

I've Been Tagged

I was tagged by my friend Marci at All Things Wonderful and this is what I have to do...

1. Choose the 4th folder where I store my pictures on the computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same.
5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)


I was taking pictures of Ruthie one night because she was being silly by putting her blanket over her head and then pulling it off and laughing. This picture is the result of Kane's jealousy (he wanted to do it too). He's a pretty stinkin' cute guy if I do say so myself!!!

I tag:

Rachel at World of Wynn

Leslee at Phillips 101

Tamra at The Normans

Jen at Tatertots and Jello

So let's keep it going girls!

I hate to keep talking about sad things on my posts, but I also feel that as a mother and a women I can't not share these when so much prayer is needed! I know if it was me in these family's situations I would want to know that my baby was covered in as much prayer as possible.

Much like Kelly's baby Harper, Brayden was born full term, but was born with fluid in his lungs. He and his family are in need of our prayer. So please join me in praying for God to heal these two sweet babies and that his greatness will be shown throughout both situations.

You can click on the above button to find out updates on Braydon. Thanks!!!

In Need of Prayer

I have been following this blog named Kelly's Korner (click on the link to find out more) for the last month or so. They are a beautiful family that loves our heavenly father, and truly, their faith is just amazing (and she might be the bubbliest person ever).

Kelly just had a baby a couple of days ago (that if I'm not mistaken they tried for a very long time to conceive), and the baby is in critical condition in Tulsa. Please lift this family up in your prayers. I know that our Lord has a plan for this sweet baby girl!

Tales from the Helder House

Well, today was supposed to be a tutorial on my button art in my bathroom, but I've decided to save that one day this next week and talk about something much more important...My Children.

Warning: Extreme Naughtiness to follow

The other night at Nolan's High School basketball games I was sitting behind our team's bench with Ruthie (the spot I was occupying is at the end of the bleachers right next to Nolan's office door, our boys' locker room, and a hallway that leads to the weight room), and Kane was standing a few feet away from me with the basketball boys (they were waiting to run out on the court).

There was right around 1 minute left in the girls' game and it was tied up when all of a sudden everyone hears this horribly loud siren going off. At first I thought the scoreboard horn was stuck, but then the guy behind me yells "fire!" and I realized it was a fire alarm.

Well, I immediately look over to the basketball boys to find Kane, only to find one of them holding Kane and all of them laughing hysterically! With overwhelming dread I put 2 and 2 together and remember that there is a fire alarm just around the corner in the hall that leads back to the weight room. That's right!...my son pulled the fire alarm!!! (remember the game is tied with about a minute left!)

They had to completely stop the game. They couldn't get the stupid thing turned off, so it went of for about 10 minutes! There was a policemen, all the administrators, Nolan, and some other men all trying to turn it off! I wanted to crawl under a rock and DIE! And to make matters worse (yes it can get worse!) our girls lost! It was a nightmare! Only Kane could possibly do something so crazy!

This morning Kane had his first Upward Basketball game. It was so fun! He did so good!

...my boys. Ready for the game! (Nolan is Kane's coach)

...This might be the sweetest picture ever!

...Talkin' strategy.

However he did get into a little fist throwing match with another little boy, and then fist throwing turned into pushing, which led to falling to the ground and wrestling! (in Kane's defense he was trying to play defense on the little boy so he kept following the boy all over the place and I guess the little boy had enough and that is when the punches started flying). The ref had to pull them apart and have a little talk with them.

No one was hurt (no tears or anything), and it was pretty funny really. We had a talk with him afterward and all is good now.

Now on to Ruthie:

Last night Nolan had a game really far away so I was home alone with the kiddos. I was trying to cook dinner, but Ruthie kept wanting me to hold her. The following is the only thing that would make her happy:

...and happy she was!

...a girl after my own heart going after the mayo!

...the path of distruction.

...she's holding worcestershire sauce and feeling pretty proud of herself!

There you have it! All our naughtiness in a nutshell!

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

I mean Marci over at All Things Wonderful for picking me to give this wonderful award to!!!


Thank You Marci!!! I am so excited! This is my very first blog award and I feel like a little giddy school girl.

Marci who gave this to me is a good friend that I have known for about a year and a half now. She has children about the same age as mine and we were even pregnant at the same time with our little girls. She is such a wonderful Christian woman, who always has something uplifting and joyful to say on her blog. She's also one of the trendiest gals I know always dressing so cute!

She told me I'm supposed to list 5 things that I'm addicted to, and I'm supposed to pass this on to 5 blogs that I'm addicted to. So here it goes...

1. I LOVE the store Aldo. They have the cutest bags (reasonably priced I might add), jewelry, and Shoes!!! I bought the cutest pair of purple boots there...on sale! I promise they are cuuuuuttteeee!!!


2. I can't get enough of the store



Stylish, cheap, and did I mention I love it! I found tons of great finds here after Christmas. Yay!

3. I am super addicted to sweet tea...it is like the nectar of the gods! I makes me really happy, but sadly I'm trying to cut it out and get healthy (wish me luck!).

4. I could drink a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino just about everyday. Yes that's right...they're just that good!

5. Lastly but certainly not least...I am addicted to (drum roll please)...

These books are wonderful...I have read each of them more than once...and I can't get enough!

Now for the wonderful blogs that I am addicted to and will be passing this Sweet little prize on to (again, drum roll please!)...

JenJen over at Tatertots and Jello. I just found this blog about a week or so ago, but I love it! She always has way cute decor ideas, and not only does she talk about fashion, but she also talks about finding it for discount!!! My kind of girl!

Wendy at The Shabby Nest because I love all of her ideas! She has the greatest Shabby Chic style, and is always so sweet to share her ideas. Her pictures aren't too "shabby" either!

Joy at Joys of Home might be one of the most creative people I've ever come across! I can not get enough of her blog! She is a woman after my own heart, always searching out antique, flea market, yard sale finds (once I think she even picked something up off the side of the road) and turning them into treasures! And she's not afraid to use some spray paint either!

Amy over at Watch Me Shrink because after I came across her blog it inspired me to start trying to be healthier and to start my own gettin' healthy blog (Diary of a Hungry Mom). She shares her weight loss goals, victories, and struggles, and it helps to keep me going! As women don't we need to support each other and cheer each other on!?!

Malisa at God is Good...All the Time. I have known Malisa forever (since grade school) and she has the sweetest spirit! Her posts are always so funny and always make me feel super good. She is also such an inspiration...she is a wife, a mother of 3 young boys, works, is going to college to become a teacher, and still finds time to blog (can we all say Super Woman!). So I think Malisa has earned this award for sure!!!

Well there you have it! Thank you again Marci for my wonderful award! I'm so thankful and excited!!!

Attention: Change of Plans for Tuesdays...

Okay, so I know that Tuesdays are supposed to be a tour of a featured room in my house, but I am going to be working on Tuesdays now. So we will now be having this tour on Wednesdays. So please come back and visit Wednesdays for the tour of my house. (Lots of ideas for storage and decorating.) I hope to see you back for it!

Also, I have a new blog that is dedicated to all things being skinny. I call it "Diary of a Hungry Mom." I'm trying to get healthier, firm up, and lose a little weight, and I do this better when I blog about it and get it all out there. (I found this out when I lost weight after I had Ruthie.) On this site I will talk about weight loss ideas, exercise ideas, healthy foods, recipes, and anything you can think of related to better health. You can go here to check it out, and we can get healthier together!

Fashion is my Passion on Fridays...

I thought in honor of my going back to work 2 days a week to do hair I would devote Fridays to a passion of mine...Fashion. All things hair, makeup, clothes, jewelry, bags. Pretty much all of those things that in the big scheme of things really don't matter, but are fun to think about anyway.

I thought I would kick off the first ever "Fashion on Friday" with a bang and share a few tips on eye makeup because let's face it...we all need a little help sometimes.

First off: the key to any good application is a good tool. So let's talk brushes:

I use Mary Kay brushes. I'm pretty happy with them, and they are easy to use for anyone (even the makeup un-savvy because they are labeled with what they are to be used for). I gave my sister a set for Christmas a year ago and she loves them.
You can only buy these through a Mary Kay consultant, and to find one of those you can go here. I'm sure there are other great brushes out there, but seeing how these are the ones I use I'm going to talk about them. If you know of some other great brushes please feel free to leave a comment sharing your knowledge.

Secondly: During the day it is best to do a lighter eye. I usually save a darker eye or even a smokey eye for the evening. The best tip I can give for making your eye makeup darker or a deeper shade is to dampen your brush down before you dip it into your shadow. This will make it go on darker than if applied dry.

The Shadow that I love the best for the dark - smokey eye is Mac. You can't beat it. Here is what its compact looks like:



This is my recommendation for the best smokey eye: Mac eye shadow in Black, and you can find it, and many other colors here:

But I also love a dark - smokey eye in other colors too, like purple. It looks great too.

Lastly: Any eye should be highlighted with a lighter shade. I usually use a crystally white or cream. I always highlight just below my eyebrow (the length of the brow), and I always put just a dab on the inside corner of my eye by my nose. This will make your eyes look brighter and more of a focus. A great color for this is Mary Kay Crystalline:
You can go here to see it and others that would work great!

Another key to good eyeshadow application is blending. Nothing annoys me more than thick, gloppy looking shadow that you can see every line in. Don't get me wrong, you want to be able to see the different colors but not to the point where you can see every line. So blend!

*Also if you choose to go light on the eye then it is allowed to go darker on the lip, and if you choose dark eyes remember to go with a lighter lipstick (you don't want to look too over done).


A few other things:
For super cute clothes for super affordable go check this out over at the Tatertots and Jello blog.

And for super great help with hair product check this out over at the My Chihuahua Bites blog.

I leave you with a fashion "What Not To Wear":

Body suits are Bad! Leather, denim, plastic, you name it,
it should not be done! So let's leave the Body Suits for...

...4 year old Spider Men!