My First Giveaway!

I’m so excited to be having my very first giveaway….on my own blog!! My sweet friend at We are THAT family hosted one last year and it was great! (Thank you, sweet Kristen!)

As you know, I started my own jewelry business over 10 years ago and it has been so much fun! I love helping women who are on a budget be able to look like they spent more money than they actually did. I’ve met amazing people along the way. They were in person, but now I’m branching out into the blog world. I LOVE it!!

Recently, I totally revamped my website to include a shopping cart with PayPal. Very easy to use. I hope you like it!

My first giveaway is this gorgeous beaded necklace with matching earrings! I think it looks like Easter! Lots of pinks, greens, blues, and yellows. Very Spring-y!

So here’s how to win:

Since I am a new blogger and tweeter, you have some choices!

-Visit my website www.stonebeadedsilverjewelry.com and then my blog. Leave a comment and let me know what pieces you like in my collection. (1 entry)

For More Entries—You must LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY!

-Become a Follower of my blog (2 entries)

-Follow me on Twitter (skoolaid) (2 entries)

-Grab my A Touch of Silver button and display it publicly on your blog (3 entries)

-Link this giveaway to your blog via a post or on your sidebar (4 entries).

Hurry up and enter! This Giveaway ends Friday, February 26th at 12 noon CST.

I can’t wait to see who wins!

Good luck!

Sandi

What makes Southerners special?

Okay, I am a Mississippi Girl through and through, but I married a guy from Wisconsin. Yes, he does own a real Cheese head (like the “lovely” ones they wear at the Green Bay Packer games). He wanted to buy a newborn-size one when our son was born. What was he thinkin’?? Guess, what? I won on that one!!

When we became engaged, I had to indoctrinate him to the “ways of the South”. I will never forget the day that he said “taaares” for the first time. (for those of you who don’t know what I just said, I’m referring to those round, black, rubber things that spin when you drive your car). We were on the phone and he was telling me that he would be late meeting me because he had to get his “taaares” checked.” He stopped himself and said, “I have lost all claim to being from the North. Did you hear what I just said?” (not a Yankee, by the way, because according to my sweet husband, Wisconsin people are NOT Yankees…they’re just from the North!). I laughed until my sides hurt!

And don’t EVEN get me started on the cabbage and black-eyed peas thing! Or explaining why we need to offer food to anyone who comes over to our house!

I would LOVE to hear your stories. What are some of the differences we as Southerners have compared to the rest of the country that make us SPECIAL? Leave a comment and share your ideas.

Bye, Y’all!

Sandi

Home Sweet Home

When I was growing up, my mother loved to do any type of needlepoint or cross-stitch. There were beautiful pieces of her “craft” all around our house. She would make gorgeous cross-stitched Scriptures or prayers and they would either be hung on the wall or in frames sitting in bookcases or on tabletops. I loved seeing all of them!

There was one thing in particular that I vividly remember seeing. It was a “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint that was framed and she gave it to my grandparents who hung it in their home. Each time we would visit, I loved seeing it. That was many, many years ago. Well, before my husband and I married, I moved back home with my parents for the 6 months before our wedding. I was there with them every day after work and had no clue what my mother was working on. Then, at a bridal shower, she gave me my very own “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint just like the one that hung in my grandparents’ home! I was shocked!! It now hangs in our home and I get to see it everyday!

The thing that I learned by looking closely at the “Home Sweet Home” is that my mother spent many, many hours working tirelessly to make something beautiful and memorable for me and my new family. On the front, it’s perfect! But on the back, there are knots and strings that look very messy. Hard to believe the two even are part of the same gorgeous work.

I think that is how our lives are as moms. We are not always neat and organized, but everything always gets done! Our kids always have food, they may not always have that certain pair of jeans they love, but they have clothes to wear, nonetheless. I think if we could focus more on the big picture and not get so bogged down in the messy day-to-day things, our families would enjoy a lot more fun and laughter and just shear peace.

Why don’t you try this week not to stress about the little things and try focusing on those things that matter? My mom didn’t know at the time that her needlepoint for me would have so much more meaning than just look beautiful on the wall ---but it would be a life lesson not to stress about the “junk” but to look at the overall picture—God makes it all to be beautiful in His time!

Blessings,

Sandi

Your Nest

You know, we as women seem to have a natural desire to make our nest (our home) extra special. It should a be place of refuge, safety, fun, peace, laughter, and plain beauty…..no matter the size of your “nest”. Some of you live in huge, very expensive homes, and others of you live in small spaces. It does not matter!

I just love nature. It reveals to us God’s amazing creativity! Living here in The Woodlands, we have gorgeous nature all around us. Especially the birds. I just love to watch birds. They are so focused and busy on gathering items to build their nest and provide for their bird families. They find sticks, leaves, down from their feathers, or even string that was accidentally dropped when I took out the trash.

As I think about the bird’s nest, I like to compare their nest to our own. We need to form our nest around things that are strong, for support….like the foundation of God’s love. Add in some “leaves for insulation” such as putting boundaries on your family (what type of TV or movies you allow your kids to watch, or friends you allow them to play with).

The birds may pick up some soft things like dandelion fuzz or those little pieces of cotton that blow in the wind from a Cottonwood Tree..this softens their nest. We should provide peace and a place of refuge for our families. Is your home “tightly wound” or are you so busy running from one event to another that everyone is on edge? What if we were to sit down as a family and talk about what things we really want to be involved in and what things are just “filler”? Hmmmm….we might start to see some noticeable changes that we could make to create more peace in our home.

Do you ever wonder why those cute little birds use a random piece of string or that brightly colored flower petal in their nest? It’s that “little bit of whimsy” for effect. LOL. Do you laugh a lot in your home? I think it blesses God’s heart when he hears us laugh and have fun together as a family. We enjoy playing games together. You can really learn a lot from each other by playing a good game of Sorry! together. Wow! I didn’t realize we were all so competitive!

Over the next few posts, I will share more ideas as to how you can create that warm nest for your family. I can’t wait to share!

Blessings,

Sandi

Anniversary Celebration

As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I spent last weekend at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, Texas, just outside of Austin.

Not only does the Resort have amazing accommodations, but they have such wonderful “extras”. Our stay there was full of “firsts” for my husband. He had his first pedicure (the “Man’s Pedicure”, of course"—that was my idea!) and then we had a couples massage. He said, “This will have to be an annual thing”. Yay, for me!! The Spa there is called Spa Django and it is beautiful. They pamper you more than any other spa that I have been to.

Ahhhhhh…………..

The food here and the atmosphere is beyond amazing. There are a few different restaurants, but we absolutely loved the

Firewheel Cafe.

They offered an amazing buffet which included a full salad bar, various entree selections (herb roasted chicken, rice pilaf with pecans and cranberries, green beans almondine, seared salmon, and cut-to-your-liking Prime Rib). They even offered a seafood bar with crab legs, shrimp, etc…(I’m not a seafood eater, but my husband said it was wonderful).

My FAVORITE was the

Tomato Basil Soup!

Yumm-O!!

Just when we thought we were finished, we made a trip to the DESSERT BAR! They had a little of everything!

Key Lime Cheesecake, Espresso Mousse, Chocolate Fondue, etc…

After we were sufficiently STUFFED, our waitress brought the check. After seeing all of the amazing food, we fully expected the bill to be expensive. That was fine because we were celebrating our Anniversary. But…..the check arrived and……. It was only $51.24! We were shocked! Definitely another check in the “plus column” for this place!

Each night, they have campfires with s’mores all throughout the Resort. Adorable! I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff!

I hope that you will put this amazing place on your “to-do” list for 2010. And for those of you who live in Central Texas, it’s right in your backyard. For us it was a short 2 1/2 hour drive. Well worth it!

Blessings,

Sandi

One Relaxing Weekend

I am married to an amazingly thoughtful man. We celebrated 16 years of marriage on December 11th. He took me that night to a wonderful restaurant where we live. But, he had another surprise. He said we had reservations at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort for an entire weekend in January! Yippee!!

This past weekend, we spent three days there and it was so much fun and relaxing. It was so special because over the 16 years, we have not been very good about making special time for us. I would not recommend that for anyone, by the way. You need time for you and your relationship…it was there before the children and it will be there when you have an empty nest. Nurture it!

These next two days, I want to share more about this resort and maybe by the end, you’ll want to go there, too!! With your special someone or with your whole family!

When we drove up, we felt like we had the place to ourselves! Winter is definitely the time to go here for relaxation. The summer is packed full of activities for families so it’s busy.

The setting is resort-like but with a rustic/natural feel.

This is the main lodge! Isn’t it gorgeous??

There’s horseback riding, golf, hayrides, arts & crafts for the kids, and much more. There’s something for everyone.

A lake that is so peaceful- with a touch of nostalgia. Feels a bit like you stepped back in time. You can tell that it’s winter, but in the spring and summer, I’m sure it’s absolutely lush and gorgeous! We’re already planning a return trip with our children in the summer. Can’t wait!

Check back tomorrow and find out more…..

Blessings,

Sandi

Last Minute School Project

Don't you just love it when your child comes home and proudly announces to the family that he or she "has a project due on Friday"... and it's Wednesday!!!! Okay, do you really think I would be cool, calm, and collected? Yeah, right.

Well, that happened to me last week. My 6th grader has to do these "PRI" projects where they read a book and then make something that represents either a scene or item in the book. Last time it was a diorama (thank goodness for the premade ones at my local get-everything-in-one-stop store). He said the book he read had a bowling scene in it .......and he wanted us to make a bowling cake! WHAT? Okay, after I came down off of the ledge, I said, "Sure, Sweetie, Mom can help you with that- no problem".

I immediately surfed the web and found a sample. Very cute. However, I really didn't get excited about shaving candles to look like bowling pins so we decided to come up with our own version.

I baked and iced the cake and my son did all of the other decorating. He made the lanes out of licorice, the lane markers out of chocolate chips, the balls were gumballs, and the ball-return and the pins were out of fondant (you know, that edible playdough--you can make anything out of that stuff!) He shaped everything! The name of the book was The Million Dollar Strike. He was so proud.....and so was I!

So, Son, it's not just Dad that can do those projects. It's not everyday that you get to make a project that you can actually eat! Look at him....we're so proud of him!