Photo Story Friday #15

I love Good Mail. I love sending it. I love receiving it. I love the whole idea of going to the mailbox and finding something other than a bill or junk mail. I think Good Mail can make a not so great day a F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S day and make someone smile just knowing that they were in some one's heart and thoughts long enough to make the effort to let that person know. Good Mail is a REALLY good thing.

The mailman really delivered this past week. He brought Good Mail THREE times!!! Twice for me and once for Jordan. Yep it was a good week! AND I was even able to get some Good Mail sent off to a few people on my Good Mail list...by the way...are YOU on MY Good Mail list?

The first little bit of Good Mail I received was a really beautiful perfume bottle from my sweet friend Chrissy (private blog, sorry). She knows that I love and collect unique perfume bottles so she said when she saw this one in a store while on vacation last month she thought of me and bought it...cool huh?

I really wish it photographed as lovely as it truly is.

I tried a few different settings on my camera

this one I took with my finger over the flash,

it turned out too cool not to share

Thank you so much Chrissy. The perfume bottle is so beautiful and adds something really special to my collection. Your kindness is very much appreciated!

Then I received a really sweet note from Amy. This was the first time she has sent out Good Mail and she talked about it on her blog. It really is a good feeling to send it, isn't it Amy? Thank you So much for the lovely letter and the beautiful picture of the pansy you sent. Your daughter is quite the photog.

Jordan received a package from SuperHotMama's daughter S. Those two girlies have been exchanging Good Mail for a while now and J loooooves it. Anyone else with a teenage daughter interested in exchanging Good Mail with Jordan let me know. She would love to add to her Good Mail list too.

S put together a fun package of babysitting helps for J.

along with babysitter notes, a planner and a form for parents

to fill out was a pack of hot sauce from Taco Bell.

This had J perplexed. "What do you think the hot sauce is for?"

Big Daddy suggested it was for punishing a "biter" or a "sassy mouth"
J was not liking his ideas...but she thought about it...

...then she said, "well maybe. It might work to put a little hot
sauce on a sassy tongue. Unless they like things spicy like me
then, it's like party time for the naughty kid. I would have
to talk to their parents and find out how they handle that stuff."

So do tell SuperHotMama...the hot sauce was for what? Were you just trying to make us think?!? It was most def a conversation starter...AND it had us laughing at the craZy guesses!

J loved her Good Mail and said,

"S is so cool. This is perfect for my babysitting business!"

Good Mail...I am LOVING it. Join the fun. Get on MY list. Start sending Good Mail of you own and feel the love! It really does make my heart smile...I want all of you to feel that too!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

WordFUL Wednesday: From the Archives

Last Summer was Jordan's second year taking horse back riding lessons. She LOVES horses and really has a special way with them. It is amazing to watch her handle a horse. She exudes such control and confidence and trust that the horse is not only listening to her commands but also respecting her. It. Is. Amazing. These pics are old. I need new ones of her with the horses. But I was thinking today about her gentle way with people, animals, babies and any other living thing. I was reminded of how impressed I am that she is able to handle such a large creature in such a beautiful, kind, respectful and loving way. I think she gets it. It also made me think of what a great kid she is. She never balks or complains about a house rule or when we ask her to do something. I think she understands our parenting style and respects it. Having an opportunity to be responsible of directing or guiding her horse or a child in her care has taught her that when she asks something of them it is out of a need or through love or safety. Why else would she ask them to do something? She has a reason after all. THAT made me want to pat myself and my hubz on the back a little. She learned those "parenting" techniques from US! Very cool to see them put to such use in such a beautiful, kind, respectful and loving way.

This is Taxi

J grooming Taxi
more grooming...pretty girl and a pretty horse

saddling Taxi for a sunny morning ride

More WordFUL Wednesday here:

also...don't forget to check out

Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap!

read more about it, join the fun and grab the code!

it's over there. on my sidebar. you know you wanna play!

Bloggy Business YOU Don't Wanna Miss This

I am sooooo excited about this Monday edition of Bloggy Business. There. Is. SO. Much. To. Talk. About!! I am thrilled to FINALLY announce a super fun Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/2008/10/bloggy-business-you-dont-wanna-miss.html"><br/><br/><img border="0" width="175" src="http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii252/kyabren/dandelion-seedsbiggeraddress.jpg" height="100" /></a>

I have seen it all over the blogshpere and I am ready to host one now. You all know how much I love good Mail. I send it out and receive it all the time. This Favorite Things Swap is a special kind of version of that! Read on, my friend...read on.

Here is how it works:

1. Let me know you want to participate.

never2pink at yahoo dot com
I will need an RSVP by November 7, 2008

2. If you choose to participate, you will simply pick three (or more) of your favorite things to share with your partner.
I am sure no one would complain if you wanted to send more.(I will probably get a little carried away, cuz that's how I roll). This does not have to be expensive. It could be your favorite book, a new mascara, or a book of your favorite recipes. It might even be some personalized note cards, or a box of your favorite candy. Items can be bought or even homemade (awesome). Just remember to send a package that YOU would be excited to receive. Be creative!

3. Email me at never2pink at yahoo dot com with the following information.
*Your name
*Your mailing address
*Your email address
*Your website/ blog address (you must have a blog to play)
*Share a little something about yourself..PLEASE include ANY allergies you might have.
*Please let me know if you would be willing to ship internationally, not required.

4.I will email you the information about your swap partner shortly after the sign up deadline.

The delivery deadline is November 18, 2008!
Be sure to have your packages ready and postmarked by then.

5. Don't forget to grab the code and add it the button to your sidebar!! BIG special thanks to Jen from TidbitsOfTheTippets (she is private) for making the code for me. she is AWESOME!

So...are you ready to join in the fun?
Share this with your friends!
Tell your neighbors!
Email your associates!
Grab my Favorite Things button and post about it on your blog!

Okay.....are you ready to swap?
Me too!
I can't wait to hear from all of you.
*Feel free to contact me at never2pink at yahoo dot com with any questions*

GUESS WHAT.....

That's right you read that correctly I WAS featured on Tip Junkie !! I had a few people suggest that I submit my Stained Glass Pumpkin idea...so I did. I never thought it would actually be chosen to be featured, but it was...I am soooooo excited I feel all celebrity like...what a fun feeling!! Go check it out...woo hoo!! A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!

AND...

The Secret is in The Sauce is having an AWESOME giveaway for November. And. I. Want. To. Win! Seriously girls...Mamarazzi NEEDS this vacuum!! If you haven't joined the bloggy phenomenon that is the SITStahood...what are you waiting for...it is amazingly FUN! Check it out HERE !!!

And Lastly
...but certainly not least...April over at April Showers gave me this super sweet bloggy award. She is fairly new to blogging and has seriously jumped in with both feet. I big red puffy heart her and her blog...most def check her out and tell her Mamarazzi sent you! She and I are working together on a super fun project...I can't wait to share it with you...in due time!

I am passing this one on to all of the "thoughtful" blogs i read daily: BlokThoughts, Escape Into My Thoughts, Think Happy Thawts, and Random Thoughts . (See the common thread?) You. Are. Welcome.

So that's it for now. I have a few tags that I will have to get to later. I also know someone else gave me an award recently and I am super embarrassed to say that I cannot remember who...I know. I suck.

Also my reader is in the triple digits. I'm going to work on catching up, I WILL be by to see you soon. It WILL take a while. Thanks for the sweetness y'all left me over the weekend while I was away... I am feeling the L-O-V-E!!

Self Esteem Sunday #2

This is a late post...blogger FAILED to post this SCHEDULED post for me while I was away this weekend...poop! Oh well better late than never! I guess.

This week Melody from Pennies In My Pocket gave us a topic for Self Esteem Sunday...it's a thinker. The Topic is: A time when you were a kid and felt a boost in your self-esteem.

It's hard to think of one thing that as a child gave my self esteem a boost. I can think of many things that looking back as an adult I think my parents made conscious decisions to "point out" or do in order to boost my self esteem and my siblings self esteems as well. It may also have come naturally to do what they did but I can hardly imagine having 5 kids to make feel special, yet they did it, so I am thinking it had to have been something they really worked hard at.

Some of the things that come to mind are:

1. My folks were my number one fans growing up. I did a lot of theater growing up. My parents did everything they could in order to never miss a show I was in. They worked the box office selling tickets, were ushers, and my dad spent countless hours building amazing sets. They let me know I was important to them, that I was worth the time and effort and even cheered the loudest.

2. They boosted my self confidence by "hearing me out". There were rules growing up and they had their reasons for those rules. However, they were always open to my ideas on how things could be done differently. This is not to say everything was negotiable, it wasn't, but I felt valued and listened to. I think this helped me later on in business. I never felt like I couldn't speak up in a board meeting and suggest a different view on any given topic. A lot of times things changed because I spoke up.

3. I think I have always had a pretty good self image. I mean I may not be perfect but parts of me are F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!! I know it's because my parents never passed an opportunity to tell me how beautiful I was.

4. I learned how to take a joke, tell a joke and be the joke. In my family humor was a part of life. Being able to see the humor in ALL things makes life a whole lot easier!

I have most def taken several pages from my parents book. I know what I valued as a child and I want to make sure my daughter has that. She knows she is special. I don't want her to ever think poorly of herself. I want her to KNOW that she can do anything she sets her mind to and also KNOW that I am going to support her ALL THE WAY!

I'm Outta Here!!!

scroll down for Photo Story Friday and some cuteness that IS my child!!

Just a little note to let y'all know I won't be around this weekend. Oh how I will miss your bloggy goodness, I am sure you will miss me too RIGHT?!? OH and GOOD NEWS...I have something REALLY super FUN planned...I will be making a BIG announcement soon!!! (dude...don't try to guess...you never will) You're gonna L-O-V-E it!!

I am going to my folk's house to help them organize a yard sale and prepare to take off to Colorado for a year. Read more about that on this post Called To Serve Him.... It will be fun to go over the hill by myself and just spend time soaking up as much of them as I can. I am sure my mom will put me to work but I also know we will have lots of fun too...cuz that's how we roll!

I will check in with you when I get home Sunday!

Bye for now...don't forget about me!! mmmmkay?

Photo Story Friday #14

Jordan had early dismissal from school the last few days because of parent/teacher conferences so we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL sunny day to visit the pumpkin patch. J had a great time doing the super cool (and pitch black) hay maze (she remembered to bring a flashlight this year), petting the animals and goofing off totally hamming it up for the camera. The girl was in rare form and we had a great time laughing at her antics...oh the goofy girl goodness!

posing with the spooky tree

a not very scary scarecrow

(yes i know i need to color my hair) my beautful girl...oh those eyes and that smile!! daddy's girl...cute! big pumpkin hanging with the goats and daddy a goat getting personal J loooooves horses and this one loves her! mmmmmm pie!!spooooOOOOooooky!! "what the...? shouldn't that elf be working at the north pole?" BIG pumpkin "awwww little baby pumpkin, rock-a-bye baby" "mmmmm pie!!" she was pretty happy to see a turnover in the shop there...YUM!

Way. Too. Much. Fun.

we came home and made a BIG pot of Chicken Noodle Soup. we will post the recipe for the next Cooking with Jordan Episode.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

A Word Of Advice...revisited

Scroll Back Tag!

Rules of the Tag.
1. link back to the person who tagged you.
2. scroll through your archives to any post that you feel deserved a little more love than it received. maybe back from when you first started blogging and didn't have as many fans.
3. re post it
4. tag 4 bloggy friends to do the same.

I chose A Word Of Advice from November 2007. I chose it because I was asked to re post it before so I thought some of my new readers might enjoy it. Also it is HIGHLY embarrassing AND has a life lesson...ahhhh I love how I can share my humiliation with y'all in the hopes that IT NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU. I am cool like that....You. Are. Welcome

Before leaving the house to drop your child off at school, take a moment and get dressed. Don’t say to yourself, “self, the school is just a few blocks away, why get dressed when you are just going to come home and shower?” instead tell yourself, “self, you could end up in a little fender bender and may indeed need to get out of the car, better put some clothes on, yes that includes a bra.”

So yea today was just a little bit of an embarrassing life lesson for me. I dropped Jordan off at school this morning and watched her walk for a little while, thinking…"aww she is looking so cute today” and as I went to drive out of the ‘drop off zone’ I felt a little tap from behind. “Oh no” I think, “not today, today I am wearing a 10 yr old (at least) yellow nightgown with stars and moons on it, slippers, MAJOR bed-head, no make up (thank goodness I shaved my legs last night) and no bra!! AAAAhhhh NOT TODAY! what should I do? I am NOT getting out!" The nice gentleman in the suit gets out and says, “I am so sorry about that, I just wasn’t paying attention and started to roll. There is no damage to your car and mine is just the headlight a little scratch.” (panic panic..has he noticed I am in my nightgown?) “oh um OK, then no biggie” I say. He looks at me and says, “You can come look there really isn’t any damage to your car.” really? no thanks “Oh umm OK, nah I trust you, it’s OK” (panic panic…please don’t ask me to get out of the car…pleeeeease!!) “Really ma’am your husband would probably want you to at least check.” (Oh NO he diD’nT..this is MY car, my beautiful Durango that my husband bought ME for my birthday…don’t tell me what MY husband would want me to do!!) but instead I said, “oh um OK, hee hee I am in...ummm...my nightgown, uh embarrassing, hee hee” and he just steps back to allow me to open the door and get out!! So in parent DROP OFF zone traffic I get out of my car and walk around to the back and look… "yep you are right no damage, um OK have a nice day” I say heading back to the safety of my car. And 3, THREE cars drive by and roll down their windows to shout out words of wisdom and unsolicited advice, “it always happens on the one day you don’t get dressed” and “uh oh, that’s embarrassing” and “oh no poor yoooou” ....UGH. why why WHY??? why today...?

I pretty much laughed my butt off the whole 2 minute drive home…I have a love/hate relationship with life lessons where I look like a total jack ass…but whateveah.

This is another reason why Big Daddy does all of the driving to and from school now...yep I'm a fast learner.

I tag April Showers, Memoirs of a Mommy, AVT COACH and Three Weddings

WordFUL Wednesday-Stained Glass Pumpkins

Jordan and her friend Ashley had a sleep over this past weekend. J wanted to do a "fun Fall craft, something cool, cute and colorful and different." Well Mamarazzi aims to please so I went to work trying to think of something that would meet the criteria requested by my darling little girl. I bought some white pumpkins, got some colorful tissue paper and some white glue and decided the girls could make some "stained glass pumpkins".

The girls got busy cutting the tissue paper into rectangles and squares

"OK get your pictures Mamarazzi, we have work to do here."
they started with the pumpkins upside down, decorating the bottom first
paint a little glue, place a piece of tissue, cover tissue with glue

(look at those eyelashes!!!)
repeat steps until pumpkin is covered. paint a heavy layer over entire tissue covered pumpkin it will dry clear and have a really cool shine to it making it look like stained glass.

smile for the Mamarazzi!! cheeeese!
these pictures do not do them justice. they are D-A-R-L-I-N-G!!
this was a super easy can't mess it up project that would be great for any age...EASY FUN!

i am ALL about THAT and my kid loved it...super bonus!

more WordFUL Wednesday:

Cake Mix Cookies

Jordan loves to bake. I am not a baker. I love to cook and share that love with her as much as I can... You have seen the Cooking With Jordan Episodes we will continue posting those often. I AM hoping to distract the girl and bring her over to the cooking side, she loves to cook, but the girl also STILL loves to bake. My skills in this area are seriously lacking. I have learned a few tricks. Cake Mix Cookies is one of them. So far it's working. She considers this real baking. I know it won't last forever, but she is happy "baking" up a storm in my kitchen. I am able to keep her well stocked in "ingredients" from the pantry and fridge and it's a win/win. It is not a big mess maker (one bowl & 2 beaters). Everyone is happy...especially Big Daddy, who loves eating the "baked" goodness! Ya know it is also so easy that she can be let loose to do her thing...I think that's a good boost for her self esteem. SUCCESS!!

We started making Cookie Mix cookies HERE for her bake sale that was a HUGE success.

Once cake mix...any flavor plus 1/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

beater lickers

Roll the "dough" balls in powdered sugar place on baking sheet. bake @ 350 for 10 min.

Enjoy the goodness!

I do not have pics of the finished product...it was a sleepover...I let them loose to do their thing, plus there was Big Daddy helping out. The box makes about 18...I think, of course it depends on the size of your balls (that's what she said).

We have used Lemon...my fave, Strawberry and Spice cake. Spice cake is awesome with some thinned out cream cheese frosting drizzled over the top like a glaze...oh the Fall goodness!

OH and the girls also made a really fun Fall craft...I will be sharing that tomorrow!!

Bloggy Business and Randoms

It's Monday...time for some bloggy business. I have been tagged for a few memes and I also have a few awards to pass out. I know. I can feel your excitement....oooooh awards and memes Mamarazzi ROCKS! (yes, yes i do)

Andrea from L I F E S O N G "high fived me" for the Self Portrait Meme. The rules are simple: Post a picture of yourself (if you're one of those bloggers who prefers to keep pictures off of their site, maybe just post a picture of a part of yourself -- your eyes or something...or even a picture that represents something about you).Then create a post of things that tell us who you are. It can be in the form of a poem -- rhyming or otherwise -- or just a list, or whatever. The format isn't important. Just be creative.So now I need to 'high-five' (or 'tag') people to play along to get this thing going. The more the merrier, so here it goes:

Cute, Fun, Girl...who loves her family, the color PINK, dreaming big, and laughing out loud.

i tag (high five) 4 Kennedys and a Dog, AVT COACH, John Deere Mom, Forgetfulone and Just Talk.

THEN Stephanie @ spunkyteddygraham Tagged me for the book meme.

Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your blog along with these instructions. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST. Tag three other people to do the same.

This excerpt comes from the book "Home Swell Home" designing your dream pad By Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Resenzweig.

"4 New Uses For...Your Coffee Table *add a plexiglass top and it's a frame. the photo gallery changes every time there are new guests to flatter. *tie on a padded slip cover and it's an extra seat. *if it's a mosaic mount it over the fireplace and call it art. *move it to the foot of the bed, like at a hotel suite, to store valises."

i tag: Smile! Its Becky!, SuperMom.........NOT ! ! !, and And then there were 6



AND Kori @ My Life as a CFers Wife tagged me too. I am supposed to list 6 things that make me happy. So here goes...



#1 My daughter's super clean and organized bedroom and game room. I have said this before but she has just enough OCD to make this mama VERY happy.



#2 The smell of rain. My family knows to bundle up when it's raining outside because all the doors and windows will be open.



#3 Clean laundry. I do a load almost everyday. I love the smell and it makes me feel like I accomplished something.



#4 Blogging. I know it may sound silly. But then again, some of you may know exactly what I mean. i am so thankful for the friendships i have made through blogging. so good.



#5 Playing games with my family. We play games every night after dinner. It is the best time for us to bond and connect. A good meal and a good game...good times!



#6 Comments. Yep, I said it. Comments.



I tag CrazyMamaof6, Kristin, Seven Super Summers, Tiaras & Tantrums, Random Thoughts and SuperCoolMom



OK now...time for some awards. I have made so many new bloggy friends thanks in part to the SITS blog-a-thon.

First I have got to thank my super commenters...oh how i love comments. this one goes out to: Just Talk, L I F E S O N G, My Chaos My Bliss, Tiaras and Tantrums,and AVT COACH. The Dandelion Wishes Bloggy Goodness Award goes out to: Common Mom, Chronicles of a Mommy, My Life as a CFers Wife and Three Peas in a Pod.
The Dandelion Wishes I BIG Red Puffy Heart Your Blog Award goes out to: Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder., Smile! Its Becky!, Blah, Blah, Blah, blog, Spunkyteddygraham ,Pennies In My Pocket Blog and A Thorn Among Roses.


OK if you made it all the way through let me know so I can give you a gold star. If I tagged you PLAY. If I gave you an award pass it on to the blogs you love and your super commenters.