The Shabby Nest: A Super Fantabulous Product Giveaway

The Shabby Nest: A Super Fantabulous Product Giveaway

My dream givaway....

I am a craftaholic, I admit it. I get all happy and must tighten the purse strings when a new craft gizmo is released. However, there are a few things that I think I would actually use, and the giveaway at The Shabby Nest has what I want, the Silhouette digital cutting tool. (think printer, but with a knife instead of ink)


I know, you are too busy to scrapbook, but this cool thing can do vinyl too... Yes, those awesome birds on Amy's dryer can now be yours. :-) You can use it to cut stencils and then etch glassware with them, and they also have temporary tattoo paper to cut out! My kids think that this is fun, but we view them more like stickers that last for days than "tattoos." There are no cartridges, it just cuts what you want to give it from your computer.

Wishful thinking is fun sometimes isn't it?

Car trip fun

It all started 12-13 years ago, when my family was looking for a home to buy. We looked at every house in Oregon city that was close to ideal. For those who know it not, Oregon City is all hills. My little sister was 6ish at the time, and she got bored in the car on the way sometimes. Sooooo the faux-roller-coaster-car-entertainment was born. When driving up a hill, you make clacking sounds like a roller coaster heading up to the top, and then, when you rush down the hill on the other side you say (quietly in an inside voice) "Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Arm raising, waving, and grinning ear to ear adds to the fun.
I still occasionally do this myself.


To my surprise, the last time were out & about, Mark started doing this to... He isn't very good at the "w" yet, so it was this in a sweet happy baby voice, "Eeeeeeeeeee!!!"

If you don't mind a bit of noise in the car, you might show your kidlets the joy of roller coasters too....

Loving Laundry tips...

If you are tired of sorting & folding the giant mountain, here are some things that may help.

1. Don't have 15 outfits per child over 2... this means you won't have as much to do when people run out of clothes. Maybe simple, mix & match around 6 playoutfits, and 2 church ones will suffice... main pont, PARE DOWN on excess laundry.

2. Pack up non current clothing... no, I don't mean style silly! Just size, season, etc... You don't want to keep washing that maternity sweater that ends up on the floor for a year after your youngest turns 2.

3. Use laundry bags, or baskets, but I recommend BAGS, they can be washed right along with the clothes, and they can hang on the back of the door, as long as you wash whats in them regularly. I still haven't found a great source for these... The nylon ones are plecchy feeling, and seem to be too big or too small. You can sew some pretty ones out of a heavier weight home dec stuff, or do a lined cotton version. You just want to be sure to add a strap to hang them up by.

4. Make a schedule of laundry for your home, organized by the bag. Here's mine.

Monday-Diapers, Mike's Jeans, Charlotte's
--Jeans are Mikes work uniform, and being a mechanic, they get REALLY dirty (resolve, formerly Spray n Wash will remove grease if you use enough) --

Tuesday - Levis, Towels, Sheets
Wednesday- Mark, Diapers, Lanas
Thursday--Kitchen Towels(yes, they have their own pretty bag...see below) Levi, Charlotte's
Friday- Towels, Lana, Mikes non jeans
Sat- Diapers, Levi , Charlotte


5. PUT the clothes right back into their bag out of they dryer, and put them away AS SOON AS THEY ARE DRY!

No, I don't love laundry, but I am loving my family by getting them their clothes done BEFORE they need them.