GW Boutique $1 Treasure

I'm in love, yes love....

 Check out these BEAUTIFUL  glass 'vintage' Sugar & Coffee dispensers I found at

 The GW Boutique (Goodwill) 1/2 off sale yesterday!!!

 Oh yes, my heart be still !! 

Oh so pretty!!

They look so awesome sitting at the kids table on my grandmothers linen

Lovin the punched tin wording.


I may actually use these for their original intention...
coffee and sugar!!
Its these little deals for only $1 that make my heart pitter patter.
~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~

~I'm 40~

Ok, So its taken me 5 months to post about it, Yes, I'm 40.    I had  been dreading the date September 17, 2010 for a  long long time.   At the beginning of 2010 I warned my family that the only way I could get through that dreaded day would be by a huge surprise party for me. You know, the kind you act like you don't know about, but actually plan.
But 2010 was the fastest year I have ever lived. Talk about busy, phew! Ryan graduated highschool, Kelly had softball and lots of cheer competitions, and all 3 teens (Ryan, Josh & Kelly) showed 4H Dairy Feeder cows, Ryan showed a pig, Ted planted/harvest for our veggie stand, BUSY BUSY BUSY... plus Matthew was granted his MAKE A WISH Disney Trip which was scheduled for October 10. So about my HUGE SUPRISE PARTY... Yeah, it never happened. Nada, nuttin. Boo hoo... woe is me. Right? WRONG!
The week of my birthday, Matthew (our special needs babe) had to have a huge surgery. He was under for a total of 4 hours 10 minutes. Here's a few pics of him pre & post surgery:

Matt & Nat playing pre-surgery

Sweet Matthew

Daddy and his little guy pre-surgery

Post surgery... so groggy.

Trying to wake up in recovery in mommas arms

After 2 hours in recovery he was able to go home. He recovered fast.

So his surgery happened 2 days before my 40th birthday. Like it says in the photo, Matthew recovered very fast. So on the day of my birthday I let daddy watch him and Natalie and I headed out to get my hair done. Check out these pics:

Thumbs up to a postitive outcome!

Oh Lauryn, you're a magician!

Side view

Back view

So when Natalie and I got home we found ourselves alone. Very alone. My usually crazy, busy, crowed, loud home got suddenly quiet. Josh & Kelly headed out to a hs football game, Ryan was somewhere (who knows w/ him) and Ted dropped off Matthew to me and had to run off somewhere fast. So there I was, on a friday night, my 40th birthday, alone w/ my 2 little people. No party, no friends, no presents, not even a dinner. BOO HOO! I put Natalie to bed and Matthew and I were ready to head to bed. Then my family comes filing in one at a time. First Kelly, Josh and Rachel (his girlfriend), then Ryan and finally Ted w/ a frozen cake in his arms. We all gathered around the table around 11pm, sang Happy Birthday, got pics and ate cake. So it wasn't the Grand Party I had wanted/expected, it was better, much better. All I needed was my family... all together.  Safe and Sound under mommas wings on her special night. 

My handsome 3 sons, Ryan~Joshua~Matthew

My beautiful Kelly & Matthew

Matthew thinking over his "WISH" for momma

He loves HAPPY CAKE no matter whos birthday it is.

We blew them out and lit them again.

and again....

and finally a last time! (the candles were getting too short)

Joshua and his pretty Rachel

Ted & the 40th Birthday Mommy. 21 years and still going strong.

Perfect end to a perfect "unplanned different kind of surprise" party for me.

~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~

~Scrabble Board Game Project~

I have the fondest of memories of my Grandmother Charlotte, Mom & Aunt Diane playing Scrabble and drinking coffee at my grandmothers kitchen table. As an adult I LOVE playing Scrabble also. But w/ a different twist, I play online. Its the new generation of easy score keeping, correct grammer and spelling. Now comes the question: What should I do w/ my old Scrabble board game?
And here is the answer:

I laid out all these fantastic words w/ just one game. TED, ERICA, RYAN, JOSHUA, KELLY, MATTHEW, NATALIE, LENKER, LOVE, FAMILY, GOD, INSPIRATIONAL. And later I added FUN, HOPE & US.

Next I glued them all on w/ the World's Best Craft Glue...ALEENE'S TACKY GLUE.

Natalie was sitting on my lap the whole time. And Yes, she helped put the glue on EVERY game piece.

How fun would it be if I still worked in an office and this was my name plate?

My new fun project now sits on top of the mantel in the dining room along w/ my fat jolly Snowmen.

I went ahead and glued my name to one of the wooden holders. I love it! It sits on my craft desk in my home office...
just in case I forget my name one day. :)

~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~

Our 2010 Christmas Fireplace Mantels & Trees

I love the fluffy birdie tails!

Mmmm.....candle light reflection warms my heart.

These are the wreaths we sell on our Christmas Tree stand....

I love how the dining room mantel came together this year...

Daddy and Natalie cuddling by the warm fire...
on our deck furniture :)

Six for $1 Glitter Snowflakes.... Perfect for the big REAL tree in the living room.
I used 24 for the whole tree. They are 6" wide.

Dinner by candle light....

Added some ribbon to the Dining Room Tree

Living Room Fireplace Mantel

Hello family, friends and fellow bloggers! Welcome to my home at Christmas. Thanks for stopping by and taking a peak. I was overjoyed at how the dining room mantel turned out this year. I spent a whopping $36.75 for all the items (not including the fresh wreath. That was a gift from my hubby). Lemme break it down some: 3 for $1.00 fluffy birdies, $1.00 tin plates, $4.00 bag of cinnamon pinecones, $.25 clearance for silver balls, $1 red stockings, $1 pine garland. $1 glass candle holders, $2.50 cranberry candles. Yes, I shop for bargains! All of the $1 items were from The Dollar Store and the rest was from Walmart. I'm thrilled how the dining room mantel turned out! Its never looked this pretty in the 15 yrs we've lived here. The focus was always on the living room mantel and I'm happy I could pour some love in that poor neglected stone fireplace. Its my new happy place in our home. I would love to hear some feedback from you. Thanks again for stopping by.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011 to you and your family!!!

~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~ 

Decisions, decisions......

Its time for a change in our master bedroom. Time for a BIG change! We've had baby blue walls for a LONG time now. (9 years) I'm so in love now with the color teal/seafoam green. But there are SOOOO many shades of it to chose from. Here are a few paint swatches I've had up for awhile now. This will be one of my between Thanksgiving/Christmas projects. Wish me luck! 

~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~

Daisey Bag Craft Idea

While browsing through The Dollar Store, I came across this ever so pretty multi-colored daisey gift bag.  Then I found these tiny little frames. So I purchased the bag and frames for a total of $5.00.

II

First I spray painted the frames white, (I always have white spray paint on hand) let dry and then super glued them together.

I cut out the daisey flowers on each side of the bag so I could layer the 2 flowers on top of eachother. Then super glued the flowers onto each frame. Hung it with a pink ribbon. And there you have it! An adorable FAST and cheap handmade ADORABLE wall hanging!

These now hang in my daughters very pink bathroom.

Love it!

~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Go ahead girls, feel em up! Do it monthly! Its breast cancer awareness month and friends need to encourage friends to "just do it"!!

I love the pink ribbon and what it stands for...
HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, COURAGE & STRENGTH

~Stay Beautiful Within, Erica~