Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I'm home, but my beloved hot rollers are not.

I left them upstairs in my aunt's house. In Houston.

I guess I can pick them up the next time I go back in another two and a half years.

I suppose they are right when they say "Don't Mess with Texas." If you try, Texas keeps your hot rollers.

I have all sorts of tales of the glamour and glitz of a Houston wedding, but I am in mourning for my hot rollers, and also I plan on linking up to Southern Fried Gal's super-fun new blog party later today. I love this one because there is an actual theme!

So you'll just have to wait for pictures of the flowers, and the cake, and the ice sculpture. Yes, I did just type ice sculpture.

Until later today, lovelies!

Your Dishing It! Party Topic for June

Hello, Blogland!

I wanted to remind everyone that the next Dishing It! party is coming up this Wednesday.

One of my favorite things ever is having a girlfriend over for coffee and dishing over anything and everything. That's what Dishing It! is all about: getting to know other bloggers.

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Dishing It! is my way of getting bloggers together to chat about a common topic. I'll post a topic today, and ask everyone to link up and hop around Wednesday and Thursday, after the party goes live. You can view the first party here and the second one here. 

The community aspect of blogging is so important! I found many of my favorite blogs and blog friends through participating in blog parties and leaving comments.

With that in mind, the topic for this month's party is in honor of the holiday that's quickly approaching. Since we focused on Moms this month, we'll give Dads the fair share in June. Here's our topic:

{Dads}

Please feel free to use this as a question and answer post, or use it as a loose guide to write your post however you like. Add or omit any questions you like, and feel free to embellish with photos!

~Name your favorite TV or Movie dad.

~What's the best thing about your dad?
~If your own dad isn't around, do you have a family member or mentor who can stand in for him?
~What's something you enjoyed doing with your dad when you were a child OR what do your kids like to do with their dad?
~If your husband is a father, what does he do that makes him a great dad?
~Tell us a funny story about your dad or your husband.
~Do you have any great Father's Day crafts, recipes, or activities you can share or link to?

All I ask is that you link back to me at the specific party post, which will go up on Tuesday night; and that you take the time to visit at least 2 or 3 other blogs on the list. If you need a few days before you know you'll have a chance to visit some of the other links, that's okay, but a blog party doesn't work unless participants join in the party. (You can read my Manifesto on Blog Parties if you're not sure what I'm talking about.)

Here's the code for the cutesy new party button. I'd love it if you'd add it to your post.

<a href="http://www.serenitynow4amanda.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w351/laurenjh04/Custom%20Designs/Amanda/150dish.png" /></a><br/>

I hope you'll come by and link up on June 9th!

Stop and Shop

One of my favorite things as a teen (and, who are we kidding...an adult too) was going shopping on Saturdays. It's a little more difficult to get some good shopping time in with the kiddos, so I like to make it easy on myself sometimes and browse a few fab internet shops. I did the dirty work for you and rounded up a few of my favorite finds from my sponsors. 

Who's ready for a little Saturday shopping?

~Crafty Girls Workshop

The Crafty Girls have all of their Oz fabrics on sale for 10% off until June 30th. Their site is also currently advertising a free pattern with any precut purchase. Sounds like a crafty deal to me!

~Mississippi Mud

J'adore these Smooth Sea-Glass Colored earrings. They'd be cute for an evening out or a trip to Target!

~one9designs

This hand-stamped necklace featuring a sterling silver filigree bird "soared" right into my heart! Cuteness!!

~RJ Charms

How much fun is this pair of little vintage acrylic owl earrings? RJ is offering FREE shipping to the US right now!

~The Shabby Chic Cottage

Gina sold out of her new French script pillows (get 'em while they're hot, folks!) before I could nab an image, so I'll share this gorgeous printed muslin ribbon with you today. I can envision some neat crafty projects with this!

*Are you interesting in advertising your blog, shop, or small business here at Serenity Now? Email me or visit my Advertising Page for details. You'll get a lot of exposure here for not a lot of money!*

Stop by tomorrow for your Dishing It! party topic for next week!

{Happy Shopping!}

::Weekend Bloggy Reading::

Happy Friday, y'all! With any luck, I am enjoying some Texas sun, a bridal luncheon, and a few cocktails this weekend.

I thought you might enjoy reading a few of my favorite posts from Blogland this week:

~Beth shared a compilation of mouth-watering picnic recipes. Get your recipe cards ready!

~Shower Curtain Pillows? Yes, please! Holly used her noggin to find a way around making buttonholes.

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~Stacey shared 10 Quick and Easy Ideas for a Tidy Home.

~Do have young children? Take Kimmie's Advice.

~Melissa's Summer Chore Cards must be tried out!

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~Lovin' Britt's Button Wall Art!

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And please don't forget to come back and link up to my Dishing It! party next Wednesday. I'll post the topic of the month on Sunday. I am really enjoying this small blog party that allows me to get to know some of my fellow bloggers!

{What do you have planned for this weekend?}

Get Crafty with Fingerprints on the Fridge

Hellooo, Thursday! 

Most of you know I'm flying out West today for my cousin's big fat Texas wedding. I'll be sure to fill you in when I get back! For today, I asked my friend Rachelle to take over and share a fun crafty project. Take it away, girl!

Hi, lovelies! I'm Rachelle

from the blog


Amanda graciously let me come over and wreck up her blog. Isn't that sweet!? Okay, it's true. I begged.

If you're not familiar with me, let me introduce myself:

I'm a Mom and Wife with an obsession with decorating, crafting, style and these girls:

Sure, they look sweet and innocent, but usually they're running around crazy lookin' like this.

When we aren't rockin' out, I can be found somewhere around the house simply fluffing things like:

mistreatments

spray painting broken pitchers

Transforming cheap bar stools

and goodwill tables

Framing keys

Making my Family Rules

And using plates as chic frames.

Sayin' "forget you" to $400.00 giant cork boards and making my own.

Sometimes I'm adventurous and want to dive into something a little tougher than fluffing. Just this year the Husband and I recently gutted our kitchen and dining room.

Quite a change, eh?
You can see it in the Summer edition of Kitchen and Bath Makeovers!

Then there's my most recent mudroom transformation I took on!

If you've been around my blog recently you might have read the special we had on Disney Week.


I'm a big fan of Disney.

Big.Big.Fan. 

So when my vinyl friend Dawn sent me some Disney family stick figures, I wanted to do something super cute with them that didn't include putting them on my car. An idea my husband quickly vetoed. Boo! 

That's when the Disney shadow box came about! Super simple and easy to change out for each vacation you go on!

I purchased a distressed black shadow box from Michaels on clearance for $6.99. Very good steal, if you ask me! Then some scrapbook paper that coordinates well. You could go a step further and do Mickey themed paper but the green polka dots tugged at my heart. Love them! And, even if I do love Disney I don't exactly want Mickey sitting in my living room everyday. Something a little more grown up, but still playful.

Cut it to size tuck it in there. No need to glue or tape since the back of the box is soft, you can tuck it in and change that out too if you want!

Then add your vinyl and poof! 

 

It came with push pins so I can easily change it out when I finally develop my prints from this year's trip. I should get on that, huh? We might add a couple more souvineers that will fit in the box just for fun. Something to help us remember our fun trip!

Not a Disney fan? You could have a princess vinyl for your little girls room. A cowboy or sport themed one for your little boy. A baby one for in your little one's nursery to hold the hospital bracelettes, first shoes and such... the possibilities are endless! 

Thanks so much, Amanda, for letting me crash at your place! So much fun! You're the best! 

I'd love for you to come over and say hello sometime! Or, come over and Feature Yourself on Fridays for my newest Linky party! Can't wait to meet some new faces!

Thanks, Rachelle! Hope you will swing by her blog and do some looking around. She is so much fun! 


I have some great Weekend Bloggy Reading for you tomorrow, and I'll be back to return comments and do some blog visiting when I return from the Lone Star State. Have a wonderful day!

The Frizz

If you read my post yesterday, you know I didn't have the best weekend. My face is still a bit swollen and the AC people can't come until this afternoon, so we slept downstairs again last night. The girls are very much enjoying having slumber parties in the living room and would probably be happy if we never get the AC back.

I am hoping and praying that this weekend will look up, but there is slightly more cause for concern.

I'm leaving on Thursday afternoon for a big fat Texas wedding in Houston.

My favorite cousin Blair, who I introduced you to last year, is getting married this weekend.

I still call his fianceé "Texas Barbie" because she is so perfect looking. Girls as pretty as Lauren aren't always nice, but she is just a doll. I can't wait to be insanely jealous see how gorgeous she is in her wedding gown.

I knew when the wedding invitation, which was roughly the size of a refrigerator and weighed as much as my youngest child, arrived that my standard summer uniform (flip flops and short yoga pants) would be a no-go.

This wedding will be, how you say, Fancy.

No problem. I shopped my closet and a little bit of Charming Charlie until I found something that A) fit and B) looked suitably cute.

My dilemma? My hair.

Texas and my hair don't get along well. Really, any place with lots of heat and humidity makes my hair go a little wild.

Okay, this photo (before the hairdresser was done with me) is good compared to what Texas is going to do to me.

Remember the Friends episode where they all went to Barbados and Monica's hair went wild with the weather? Yep, me too.

My mane is next to impossible to tame in the summer. No amount of blow-drying or flat-ironing can tame the waves or the frizz. I'm at a loss because I don't want to show up at the bridal luncheon with Lauren and her perfectly coiffed size 0 bridesmaids looking like Weird Al Yankovic. Or Cousin It.

They say "Don't Mess with Texas," and I guess they're right. If you do, they give you hair like mine.

Do any of my readers have wavy hair that frizzes in the heat? Can anyone help me? Should I call it a day and go with seashell beaded dreadlocks like Monica did?

No matter what I do, I promise to share pictures of everything from the bridal luncheon to the reception! If you come back tomorrow I have a super-fun super-cute crafty guest poster stopping by.

Why I Don't Have Book Club

How was your Memorial Day weekend?

I won't mince words.

Mine pretty much sucked with the notable exception of a pleasant bbq at my brother and sis-in-law's.

I woke up on Sunday and looked in the mirror to find that my face had been transformed into some sort of circus freak show. I looked like a cross between a blow fish and a zombie. Right eye swollen almost shut, no cheekbones, nose swollen.

Cold compresses didn't help, and Benadryl turned me into a real zombie. I passed out in T's chair while the girls systematically tore the Addition to pieces.

My doctor at Medic-1 appeared to be between the ages of 16-20. Very nice shoes. Clearly had no idea what is wrong with me, but gave me a prescription for an anti-histamine that she doesn't "think will make me fall asleep."

Then, to top the cake, our upstairs air conditioning quit. We slept with the windows open and all the fans blowing on Sunday night, but with the upstairs at 87 degrees on Monday, we all agreed to camp out downstairs in the cool.

I wish I could tell you that things went well with Natalie and Michaela Byrd sharing the Living room, but it's really Monday night as I type this up and I can hear them talking in there right now.

You might be wondering what in the world this has to do with Book Club, and the answer is "nothing."

I figured that if you couldn't get a laugh out of my misery, you might get one out of this hilarious Bud Light commercial. Seriously every woman's worst Book Club nightmare.



Maybe I'll feel better if I go read Little Women again....at least my sister never stole my boyfriend.