Giveaway Time!

Okay, today’s giveaway is actually a collaboration!  I’m teaming up to a super sweet lady named Debbie, who owns Debbie’s Designs.  Here are some of the CUTE things she has made…

Boy’s Jon Jon with an applique patch by Squiggle Stitch…

Adorable girl’s jumper with owl applique & monogram by Squiggle Stitch…

SUPER CUTE peasant dress with matching raggy ruffles!

Look at the attention to detail with the perfect covered buttons!  I’m telling you – adorable!

Precious ruffle neck dress and a hairbow to match!

She also makes hairbows!!  Check out this picture of Caroline in her korker bow from Debbie’s Designs…

Okay – so now you’re ready to find out about the giveaway, huh?  Well here it is!  The winner will have their choice of one boy’s jon jon or girl’s jumper dress (the first two pictured outfits above) from Debbie’s Designs with their choice of applique & monogram by Squiggle Stitch!

Please make sure you “like” the correct “Debbie’s Designs” on Facebook.  There are more than one to choose from!  To make it easy, just click the link here or anywhere else that reads “Debbie’s Designs” in this blog post. 

Follow my directions very carefully!  You can earn extra entries to increase your odds of winning!

First thing is first – you MUST like Debbie’s Designs on Facebook & like Squiggle Stitch on Facebook!  This was originally a Facebook giveaway, but due to FB’s rule changes, we’re hosting it on the blog.  Like both of our pages for ONE entry.  Come back here and leave a comment telling me you’ve done it.  You cannot enter the giveaway without liking both pages!  C’mon…we’re not asking much!

To earn a 2nd entry – use your blog to make a post about this giveaway!  You can grab my blog button on the right hand column and put it in your post if you’d like!  Come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it and put the link to your post in the comment to verify.

To earn a 3rd entry – make a Facebook status about the giveaway and tag Debbie’s Designs & Squiggle Stitch in the post.  You do this by adding the ‘@’ symbol before you type out the name.  Then, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it.

To earn a 4th entry – Make a tweet on Twitter about the giveaway and LINK to this post!  Then, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it and put a link to your tweet in the comment to verify.

READ THIS PART VERY, VERY CAREFULLY to make sure you get all the entries you deserve:

Put a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do that gets you an entry.  For example:  if you like the two pages and make a FB status about the giveaway, comment two different times to let me know that you’ve done these things.  It’s easier to pick a winner with a number generator when each entry is separated in the comments section.  Please do this to make sure you get the credit you deserve! 

So there you go!  Do all four things to increase your odds!  The giveaway winner will be chosen on Friday, May 27, 2011. 

Be sure to leave your email address in at least one comment so we can contact you when it’s over if you’re the winner! 

Please note:  Debbie will give you your fabric choices for your outfit when the winner is chosen! 

Smorgasbord of Thoughts

Do you need a definition of smorgasbord?  It’s actually a word for a giant buffet of different types of foods.  But we use that word to basically say “a lot of different ____.”  So in my case, a lot of different thoughts.  Good.  Now that we got that out of the way…

I’m super excited about Squiggle Stitch’s new line of boutique clothing!  If you haven’t gone already, go check it out!  Seriously, you’ll probably see my children dressed in these outfits all summer – because they truly are A-DORABLE.  No, I’m not making them.  I wish I could!  Embroidery is more of my thing – sewing is something I am very limited with.  Hopefully someday I’ll actually have time to sit down and try to sew something together. 

I’m also super excited about my new curtain.  I’m having a roman shade curtain made to go over the door in my living room that leads out to the playroom.  The playroom/sunroom/sewing room used to be a patio – so the door is one with the glass windows in it.  I love that it lets in so much light from the sunroom, but I don’t love that you can constantly see the MESS of toys when the rest of house looks “put together” and clean.  (“Clean” meaning:   you aren’t tripping over the piles of junk in the floor and the majority of the dirty dishes are put somewhere other than the counter…even if that place is just the sink.  My mother just died reading this knowing that people might actually see my house looking like a war zone.)  Anyway – look at this beautiful fabric! 

Home Decor Print Fabric-Smc Designs Havlat/Honey  (since I know you’re all wanting to go buy several yards for yourself…) 

I also got a little extra to make a couple of throw pillows.  It’s going to be right beside my red dresser with my gold/red/green mirror.  This fabric couldn’t be more perfect!  I’m really excited!  I got it at Joann’s and used a 40% coupon.  WHOOP WHOOP!

Yesterday I went to Kroger to transfer a prescription.  I got a flyer in the mail saying they would give me $75 if I transferred a prescription.  Um, YES PLEASE.  I’ve seen the $25 ones and I’ve always wanted to do it but we don’t get much medication.  I transferred Amelia’s medicine over there this time and I’m super pumped.  While I was waiting on them to fill the prescription, I walked around the store.  I’m usually not there during the day because I have to go grocery shopping at night when someone can stay with my children.  Effective, serious couponing is nearly impossible with small children.  I’m sure there are saints out there who manage it but I am not one of them.  Anyway, I was wandering around and just happened to catch the meat trolley pulling away from the Manager’s Specials section.  AWE-SOME.  I got 3 hugemongous pork loins that are usually $15-16 a piece for $5, $6, & $6.  I also 3 pot roasts, 2 steaks, and several other things.  I got several other things and checked out.  My total before coupons & prescription transfer money was $93.00.  My total after coupons & prescription transfer……..$17.62.  I got a TON of meat.  I came straight home and it’s now all in the freezer. We’re seriously stocked up on meat.  We have tons of ground beef, pork loin, pork chops, steaks, chicken, and roast in the freezer.  Catching the manager’s specials is awesome.  I plan on going back and getting a few freebies and small things later this week.

Something I’m NOT excited about is the fact that my sweet, gentle, adorable oldest child pulled my expensive Nikon camera off the bar by the strap that was hanging down.  The camera body is okay, but the lens is totally broken.  This is why most of my pictures will be blurry until we get a new one.  I have a 50mm lens for my Nikon but it isn’t AF-S.  You have to focus it in manual mode….which is difficult when your child won’t sit still for more than 2 seconds. 

Caroline got a haircut yesterday and I really wanted to take her picture and put it on here.  This is what she’s giving me….

Sorry that’s slightly out of focus.  Please read the above paragraph again.    Anyway, her hair isn’t in her eyes – and that’s always a good thing. 

Just for good measure. 

Another thing I’m excited about…

Meet Sassy.  She’s our yellow lab.  She’s about 10 weeks old and she’s the sweetest thing ever.  I totally love her.  Yes, we’re totally insane.  We didn’t have enough going on in our lives with a business, 2 kids under 2 years old, and the busiest farming time of the year – so we bought a dog.  Regardless of how crazy we are, she’s cute and sweet and Caroline LOVES her.  In this picture she is bending down so that Sassy will lick her face. 

I also made Pioneer Woman’s Meatloaf, and BOY was it delicious!  I took pictures and stuff and I’ll put them up when I have time, which could be never.  Anyway – it was delish and Judd said it was a “manly” meal.  Whatever that means.   

Well, that’s all the news I’ve got and this post is crazy long already.  Thanks for making it through all of that. 

Princess Kate

Nuff’ said. 

The River’s a Risin’

Well, things are rather eventful around our neck of the woods.  They're even more eventful in other's neck of the woods.  Let's just say I wish I didn't have to know (or worry about) what a sand boil is, and why it can be "not a big deal" or "a could-be bad situation."  Go ahead and google that one.

*Inside the levee, taken 5/2/2011.  The water has risen significantly since these pictures were taken.  This house is most likely covered and totally under water by now.

*Inside the levee.  Taken 5/2/2011.

*Inside the levee.  Taken 5/2/2011.

The MS River is rising to record levels around here!  Judd and I live several miles from the river and the levees, but if a breech were to happen in a number of places, our house would surely be flooded.  Let me start out by saying, I have a bit of my Mamaw Jones in me.  God bless that woman, she is one of the strongest women I know!  She also worries...excessively.  That's where I come in.  I got that "worry" gene from her.  I see it coming out in me all the time.  I have worried myself crazy over this house flooding stuff.  All of my worrying makes up for how much Judd worries - zilch.  I totally agree with what you're thinking right now.  Worrying doesn't do any good so why do it?  Well, I don't know.  I just can't seem to quit coming up with every worst case scenario possible.  Here's how my brain is working right now:

"Oh no.  The levee is going to break.  We'll have a few short hours to throw our most precious belongings into the cars and try to get out before the mass traffic jam happens.  Then, anything that we aren't able to take with us will be stolen by some heartless person who makes money off of other's misfortunes.  Then, we'll have to live somewhere else while waiting on the water to recede.  When it finally does, we'll have to rip out drywall, floors, and replace the furniture.  I'll find snakes in the closet. An alligator will probably be living under my bed so when I walk by it will bite my leg off - or even worse - hurt one of my babies."

  See?  Do you see how far my brain just carried all of that?  It's ridiculous.  I totally agree.  But I can't make it stop.  I'm constantly making lists of things that I want to be sure to shove into a vehicle.  My Papaw's Bible, the engraved plaque Judd's Papaw made us, my "special" jewelry, my external hard drive that has all of my pictures and home videos on it...the list goes on and on.  Just tonight I was reading Caroline a book called "Wherever You Are" that Judd's mom gave him for Christmas last year.  It had the sweetest, most heartwarming, motherly note ever written on the inside.  She also told him to "read it to your children..." so that's what we're doing.  Anyway, I was reading it tonight and thinking, I'd have to grab this book.  It was such a sweet message on the inside and I'd hate to lose that.  I also want my hugemongous television.  Not really sure how that is gonna fit in the car but I'm gonna give it a whirl. 

The problem is, my brain goes straight for the worst case scenario.  Judd just assumes that nothing tragic and earth-shattering could ever happen to him so he doesn't even blink an eye.  We do not mesh in times like these.  To say that I worry enough for the both of us is a total understatement.

However, having said all of that - I will say that in the past 24 hours, I developed a strange sense of peace.  If my house floods - it is just that.  A house.  It's material possessions that can be easily replaced.  My family will be safe!  And that's what really matters.  I think I came to that conclusion because again, my brain went in worst-case-scenario mode and if I didn't make myself feel better about it, I was going to have a myocardial infarction right here in my living room floor.

So there ya go.  You've just gotten a peek inside my crazy, worry-wart brain.  So if you see me biting my nails, looking off into the distance with a worried face, or fretting about uncontrollably - just ignore me.  It's my genetics.  And I can't help it. 

Coupon Code!

Go like Squiggle Stitch on FB to get the coupon code for 20% off your total purchase*!  We all know how I am about coupons…   

Squiggle Stitch got a makeover!  Honestly, I had issues with my last template and I couldn’t get my designer to email me back.  I finally got so fed up with it that I got a totally new design and I have to be honest – I LOVE it!  I also got the matching Facebook banner, business card, and the logo that I can use for return address labels, gift certificates, and anything else you can think of!  I’m pretty excited about it.

Also – did you read what I just wrote?  GIFT CERTIFICATES!  Squiggle Stitch is now offering gift certificates!!!!  I’m pretty excited about that.  It will make it so much easier for customers who want to get something as a baby gift but aren’t sure what size, design, etc.  It’s the perfect solution! 

*The 20% off discount will apply towards everything EXCEPT gift certificates!

This & That

So it’s been over two weeks since I did a blog post.  We have a lot going on here in Mississippi.  We’re watching history happen!  I don’t know if you heard about it (if not, you live under a rock!) but the MS river is rising to record levels.  Judd and I live miles from the river and several small rivers that run into the Mississippi.  We’re blessed to not have any water damage so far.  Where we are has a HUGE levee made to hold the water up to 74ft.  Thankfully, the water is supposed to crest on May 17th at 65(?)ft.  So our only problem is water backing up into other small rivers and lakes around us and causing flooding OR the levee not being able to withstand the water pressure lasting for so long and breaking.  Did that all make sense?  As of right now, Judd and I are fine and we’ve made plans in case something does happen. 

Also, Mississippi (along with several other states) got blasted with tornados last week.  Judd called me in a total panic last Wednesday morning telling me to get out of bed and get the girls because clouds were making funnels (or “tails” as we call them around here) all around our house.  They were literally hovering over my house and I was sound asleep with no idea.  Luckily, none of them touched down and they moved away from here.  Sadly, those same storm clouds went on to cause major destruction and damage in other parts of MS & AL.  Many people are left homeless with nothing but the clothes they have on.  I can’t imagine losing things like my pictures, my home movies, and the things that hold sentimental value to me.  Those things are replaceable.  My heart goes out to anyone who has been affected by the storms and the MS River flooding.  It’s such a sad thing when natural disasters tear people’s homes and lives apart. 

I said all of that to say that we’re doing fine…and we feel incredibly blessed to be able to say that!  We’re going to continue watching the levees and if one were to break, we would have some time to throw certain things in the car and get out before it was too late. 

We had a WONDERFUL Easter at home with my family and we got some wonderful pictures of Caroline hunting eggs, hanging out with the famliy, and Easter Sunday family pictures! 

Picture overload, I know.  I’m terrible at picking just one picture because I tend to think they’re all wonderful. 

I also did a gift set at Squiggle Stitch the other day and I was excited to show it off! 

This was the Bib, Burp Cloth, and Onesie baby gift set.    I was proud of it!

I have several orders to do and send out!  I’ve been SO busy! 

I took my big grocery trip today and I’ve switched my coupons into a binder.  My mini organizer just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  I was standing in the store flipping through my coupons for entirely too long trying to find one that, come to find out, was stuck to another one.  It was so time consuming so I decided to try the binder method.  I actually went and bought myself…wait for it…a TRAPPER KEEPER.  Remember those?  It is working great!  I can see exactly what I’m looking for without flipping for 10min. everytime I need to find a coupon.  Speaking of…check out part of my deal today…

Total cost for everything shown – $1.20.  Oh yes, baby.  I’ve had some people ask about why you would buy so much soap.  Come on folks, soap doesn’t go bad and you’re not going to quit bathing (I hope) so buy it while it’s cheap.  I don’t “stock up” on everything, but household items like cleaners, laundry detergent, fabric softener, dishwashing stuff, toothbrushes, toothpastes, deodorant, and soaps are really great things to stock up on.  Not to mention, there are a lot of people in MS & AL (and other states) that could really use these items right now so I’m trying to come up with a way to send them toiletry items. 

If you’re interested in starting to coupon, please check out my “Couponing” page in my navigation bar under my header or just click here to open it in a new window.  It’s still under construction because I’m doing it as I have time – but my two major stores are finished, although I may go back and tweak the Kroger part a little bit to organize the information a little better.    Either way, GO to it!  I list several helpful sites in there and have even more under the “Helpful Couponing Sites” on the left hand side of my blog.  If you’re viewing this from facebook, click “View Original Post” at the bottom of this note and it will take you to my blog. 

Last quick thing, if you like to laugh (and who doesn’t?!) you have to check out my awesome sister-in-law’s blog.  It’s called “Not That Y’all Care” if that tells you anything about her.  She’s absolutely hilarious.  I’ve been begging her to start one for nearly 3 years and she finally bit the bullet and did it.  You’ll love it, I promise.    Be sure to tell her I sent you! 

Anyway, this has been a super long post and it’s late so I’m headed off to bed!  Goodnight!  Have a wonderful week and if you think about it, send a prayer our way that God would protect us and keep us safe during all the flooding and be with the families of those who are already leaving their homes from the devastation last week and currently.