Designed + DISCOUNT CODE

Here's a little boy's birthday invitation I recently designed fror a client. The theme of the party is MUSTACHES. And the colors were, you guessed it, green and brown.Isn't that party going to be adorable?!!!I wish I had a little boy!

 Oh, what's that?  You say YOU need some cutsom party invites?

Maybe for a Holiday Party or a Cookie Exchange?

Well, I'll design them for you and you can print as many as you would like.Click here for details and use the code holidayFUN to score 20% off through this Saturday!

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Ella Ahern...Super Genius.

We had our first Parent/Teacher conference this past week. Ella's teacher said she is academically the top in her class. She also displays excellent leadership qualities and befriends kids from all groups. She is reading and doing math in the beginning-1st grade levels. YAY!

When asked if Ella talks too much in class (a concern of mine) Mrs. Herman responded that Ella does like to talk, but doesn't speak out of turn and always raises her hand, however (and you know there is a however) Mrs. Herman is on the receiving end of many a pre-adolescent eye roll. I had to laugh. It is entirely NOT shocking to hear that.

Last week Ella was practicing her writing on her wipe-off practice board and composed this sentence....

( It says, "We are with you, our mom." )

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An Ahern Fat-Dog Tradition

As if you don't feel fat and bloated enough on Thanksgiving Day, our family has a tradition that makes your Thanksgiving meal look downright healthy. Kentucky Hot Browns.

It's a great way to use leftover turkey and consists of sourdough bread, topped with turkey, topped with mushrooms sauteed in garlic and butter, topped with cheese sauce, topped with cheese...broiled...and topped with bacon. You read that right.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving we have these deliciously sinful sandwiches for lunch and oh, it is just to die for.  Matt likes his with some tomato to cut the richness...sissy!

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Buyer Beware

Last Christmas we went to Costco and purchased this dress-up trunk which included 3 Princess outfits and accessories. At the excellent price it seemed too good to be true.

It was.

Please, don't buy this. The dresses shredded within hours of being worn. The tops separated from the skirts and the chest was made from cheap cardboard and warped in not time.  Basically, it was a total waste of money.

*This has been a public service announcement from your friendly blogging Mommy.

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'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving...

and all of the prep was finished.

Stations were created around the kitchen with groupings of ingredients and pans each dish will be baked in.
And all of the following food items ready...

15 lb turkey is thawed
3 cups onions are finely minced
ice trays are filled
4 stalks of celery are finely minced
8 oz cremini muchrooms are chopped
bread is cubed and set out to dry
3 pie crusts are made and chilling in the fridge

and the realization that we are out of sage brings panick followed by a possible Thanksgiving Day run to the store. Ugh.

I am now printing the place cards (found here).
And loving my creation after last year's Thanksgiving feast of this flip book.
It has made a HUGE difference in my ease of prep.

Sorry, but sometimes, I am a super genius.
Let the festivities begin!

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FREE Graphic Thanksgiving place cards.

My amazingly talented college buddy, Jeanie, is a graphic designer. Something that seems very hip compared to my frumpy-mommy-ness. But, then again, Jeanie always was very chic...wearing cool and slightly quirky cherry print dresses to church with opaque tights WAY before the rest of the fashion world realized how cool that was.

Well, Jeanie has FREE printable Thanksgiving place cards for your table this year. Hurry and print some because they are only free for a limited time. These two are my favorites, but she has many designs to choose from.

Despite the fact that we only have four chairs around our table and assigned seats for our family, I will be decorating my table with these this Thursday and feeling very chic indeed.

Download yours via Jeanie's blog by clicking here.

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New in my Etsy shop...

Frame-able prints designed by me.
Great for gift giving.
Just $5, a home printer and a frame and you're golden.
All are available in a variety of colors
or you can choose a custom background color.

For the frazzled mom in your life...


( Inspirational MOTHER Print. Buy it here. )



For the new baby in your life...


( Nursery or Children's Room Personalized Print. Buy it here. )



For everyone else...

( Turkish Proverb Bird Print. Buy it here. )



Is there someone on YOUR giftlist that would love one of these prints?

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If there WAS a Santa...

I would ask him for this for Christmas. 

But since there isn't, I have to rely on my spouse.
Thing is...we share a bank account.
So, I know very well that "Santa" can't afford this.

What expensive item would YOU like to ask Santa for?


( kindle - $139 | cover - $85 | Reading Bliss - Priceless )



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Christmas Horrors

I was updating Ella's wishlist at Amazon.com yesterday so that as the family gift exchange gets underway, family out of state can see what she wants. I searched "dolls" and there was an option to search by age. I searched "5 and up" and then "8 and up".

Then I saw an option for "12 and up".
What kind of dolls are they making for kids over 12 years old? I thought to myself.

And THIS was the answer...



Behold, the freakiest dolly ever.
Also known as the "Mezco Toys Living Dead Dolls: Nohell Doll".
If you simply must have this for your little princess you can buy it here.

I may have nightmares tonight.
Is this on YOUR 12 year old's wishlist?

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FREE Thanksgiving cards!!!

Through November 19th, Tiny Prints is offering FREE personalized Thanksgiving cards using the code FREETHX at checkout. Simple choose one of 33 adorable Thanksgiving cards, personalize it and then head to checkout. Be sure to enter the code FREETHX you will then need to choose the “Pay as You Go Option” membership option which will be free with this offer.

Add as many cards as you want to your order.  I got 75....25 each of three different designs!!!  You can change certain text options to make these not Thanksgiving specific. 

You can have the card sent directly to you at no charge or you can opt to have Tiny Prints mail the card directly to the recipient for $0.44 (just the cost of a stamp)! Keep in mind that although your total will be zero (or $0.44 if you opt to have the card mailed to the recipient), you are still required to enter a credit card.

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my first solo

Monday was my first official day all alone with three kids and no additional help.
Every single member of our family awoke with a cold including runny noses and coughs, even Bianca-Bear.
Ella stayed home from Kindergarten because of said cold.
We headed out and did the following...



- Mommy showered.
- Went to the doctor for flu shots for Ella, Evangeline and myself. Ella also got the booster for her Chicken Pox vaccine.
- Went to Payless and bought far too expensive shoes (mentioned here).
- Went to Target and signed up for a Baby registry so I could claim me $20 gift card. Bought bottles and baby clothes for Bianca while the toddlers zapped random items with our registry gun. Bought less expensive shoes for the girls.
- Went to Costco for baby formula, diapers and churros.
- Stopped by grocery store for a few random groceries.
- Came home and collapsed.

5

shoe betrayal

Dear Payless Shoesource,

For years and years I have been shopping at your store. And so have a lot of other people. And, I think I can speak for all of us when I say, we did it because we don't mind cheap shoes. We were willing to sacrifice quality to save a few bucks. And you seemed fine with that too. I mean, that's who you said you were! And we formed a relationship based on those parameters. And everyone was happy.

So, imagine my feelings of betrayal, when I left your store yesterday with two pairs of toddler sized shoes and a receipt for $30. And that was during your BOGO sale! It seems to me that someone has gotten a bit uppity and forgotten what made them who they are. All of these shoes made by Disney and American Eagle are just not..."you". Nor are the inflated price tags.

This next statement is not intended to hurt your feelings, but I can buy two pairs of toddler shoes for $30 just about anywhere. And I did. I went behind your back and bought two pairs of toddler shoes at Target for just $20 and I'll be returning yours tomorrow.

I want things to be the way they used to be. You keep making cheap shoes with vinyl uppers and I'll keep paying $7 a pair. Come back to me, old friend.

Love,

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one month old

height:            19.5 inches

weight:            7 lbs 10 oz

likes:               being snuggled, lots of blankets, post-nap stretches

dislikes:           her bath, being cold

quirks:            gets the hiccups more than any baby in the history of the world.

a favorite
memory:         her blessing day when she looked so adorable in her pink dress.

Pssst.....this would be a good time to leave a comment and tell me how cute my baby is.

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sunday

Today was a long and exhausting day. I was released from my church calling.
And I did a lot of crying about it.
Because I wish I had more time to feel like
I had made a difference in some small way.


I then had a Photoshoot
including two large dogs.
I'm ready for bed.

3

regret

remember this post?
well, I am now in the depths of regret.
because...my kid is so darn cute.



and so are her school pictures.
blast!

1

slow it down...

(digital scrapbook page which will be framed and hung in Bianca's room)

6

apple core...baltimore!

(did anyone get that title reference?)

Yesterday we loaded up the van with Matt, myself, Ella, Evangeline, Bianca, Mother-In-Law and Father-In-Law and headed to Baltimore.

Remember this gift we got last year? Well, it gave us free admission into the Port Discovery Children's Museum. It was pretty great! We didn't arrive until later in the day so we only had an hour and a half to explore the museum, but it was TONS of fun!

 The museum had some pretty amazing activities and as you can see, not just the kids got in on the action.

We did have a potty situation in the museum, leading to Evangeline going Commando for the last 15 minutes of museum time. This also prompted a stop at the local Wal*Mart for a pack of emergency panties.

Afterward, we went to dinner with our whole crew + our Uncle Ken, Aunt Sandy and cousins. It was a fabulous day.

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this & that

yesterday was plain awful.
i tried to go out with all three kids to take them topre-school science day at the library,
but the car battery was dead.and it just went downhill from there.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i have officially taken "glee" off of our dvr recording list.in my opinion it is no longer fun or fresh,
since season two seems full of pandering
with a dash of additional smut.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i bought tons of halloween candy at 75% off today.
don't people realize it's still candy???oh well, let the weight gain begin!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i am so so so in love with little b.
babies are the most delightful things in the world.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"modern family" is quite obviously the funniest show on tv.
if you're not watching it...start. now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

when ever my mother-in-law is aroundi crave york peppermint patties. yum.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i am dying for this book.
my quilting interest is really growing into an obsession now.
but there's nothing wrong with being obsessed
with beautiful things.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i miss my blog readers.
where did you all go?

20

Blessed

Yesterday was Bianca's blessing day. In the LDS faith we bless our babies between 1-3 months old. Their father gives them a special blessing with council and insights just for that baby.   It's a beautiful day for all involved.

Usually babies are blessed in white (much like Christening gowns), but we searched high and low for a white dress small enough for Little B and could NOT find one. So we went with this adorable pink and grey dress.  And those shoes!!!  They were the hit of the ladies in our church. 
Bianca was blessed with a knowledge of the love of her family and that she will have many gifts which will bless her family and others' lives as she grows.

After church services were finished we came home and had a family dinner with Matt's parents and it was a wonderful day.

6

this morning

wal*mart clearance halloween costumes = $3 each
sunday morning dress-ups = priceless

2