OK...so technically today is my Rays of Sunshine day. BUT I got booed a few weeks ago (blog style!) and so I had to share the fun! The idea of booing really comes from making a cute sign gathering up some treats, decorations or anything else Halloween related and leaving it on a neighbors doorstep with a note that says something like:

Who here has an insanely large movie collection? OK, this is where I would have to raise my hand! I told you before I am a sucker for the $5 movies at Target this pregnancy...well lets just say I am a sucker for all the new Disney and Pixar movies that come out. Period! I am shocked at how many people do not take advantage of the "golden ticket" inside the Disney movies they purchase. Yes...play on words as it is not actually "golden" but blue. But for real though I feel like Charlie who just won the Golden ticket to the chocolate factory when I open up a new DVD!

Not sure what the "golden ticket" looks like? Well here you go:


These puppies right here are worth POINTS! The weird numbers and letters in the white area is a special code! Points add up to FREE STUFF! Like I just ordered myself for like the 15th time another $10 Starbucks gift card...for FREE! Oh yes! My mom even let me raid her movie stash at her house for all her "golden tickets"! Each code can be used only once. Sometimes there are special codes that will get emailed to you especially if you are new! All you have to do is go to Disney Movie Rewards and sign up for an account! Its EASY! Then you collect your little tickets that come in EVERY Disney DVD and you enter in the codes at the top of your screen...SIMPLE! You can turn your points in for gift cards, movies and more! Its pretty cool really! And if you decide your not going to use them...send them my way! Mama ALWAYS loves her Starbucks gift cards! Have a blessed day!

Well...this week I head into week 11 for my pregnancy which makes me all giddy inside! All that will be happening in the next few months makes my heart flutter! From hearing the heartbeat at every check up, to finding out the sex of the baby and to feeling my baby grow bigger and stronger which will mean my big babies will get to experience it as well! I am praying the sickness gets better too and that my appetite once again picks up. I have lost weight this pregnancy which is a new one for me! I have thrown up so much this pregnancy that it makes me shudder just to think about it. I have never experienced this with all 3 of my other bambinos that it truly is an eye opener!


Needless to say my lack of food intake vs. keeping in has made it virtually hard to keep my energy up and my totally type A self has been slacking...more than a wee bit! I currently have 10 loads of laundry. Washed. Thrown on the couch. Waiting for a passerby to magically fold them and put them away. YAWN. My sink is overflowing onto the counter tops and I can smell something gross...although I don't have the courage to find what it is. DOUBLE YAWN. And my floor has more gold fish on it than you would find in 3 bags. But you know what? I don't care! My kids are fed. They are wearing clean clothes (ignore the wrinkles people!) and yes...they have watched more than their fair share of cartoons and $5 movies from Target (can I just say pregnant women's saving grace right there! OH...you've never seen Milo and Otis? well...for just $5 we own it!). At the end of the day, whats really important is we still have a smile on our face and love in our hearts!


The JBF sale is now over! I sold $450 worth of stuff this sale! Now as much whining and complaining as I do when I am preparing for the sale, I can't complain once that check is in my sweaty little fingers! Alot of work...but worth it in the end!


On Instagram news (I am britchesnboots if you want to look me up!) there is a 15 year old girl who has been swiping pictures from me and other bloggers and set up an "adoption" page. My sweet Ava Faith was on there as 6 month old Cara...OK...mama bear came out in me and the girl got a what for! She also got the what for from other bloggers like myself and her page is now made private. Game or not it was just plain sick, rude and a complete violation! I know a lot of my pictures are made public...but I have the right to CHOOSE who gets to use my photos when and where!


Today if you click on the PNW Blogger meet up button on the right side of my page...tickets go on sale for our NEXT blogger meet up on November 3rd! I am just a wee bit excited! My ticket is purchased and so is my dear friend Brittanie's over at Cupcakes, Kisses 'n' Crumbs. We had such a great time at the last one that I look forward to what this event holds! I met such amazing people at the last event. Formed new friendships. Some in my own backyard! So if you are a blogger...you must check it out!

Well that's enough ranting and rambling for today! Have a blessed day!

Noah is going to the same school that Emily Grace spent the last two years so I have to get creative each year as I cannot re-use ideas! Emily Grace I did THIS that I did for her teachers last year! New school...new teacher...I felt it was OK!


I bought jars of Smuckers Hot Fudge (would have made homemade but really...I am so exhausted this pregnancy I knew they would be just as happy with Smuckers!) and found the most PERFECT scrapbook paper!! It had nursery rhyme stories all over it! I used some fabric I had in my stash and other fun goodies!


Now I must apologize if you click on some of the pictures as I was SO tired I didn't notice last night they were blurry in the camera until I uploaded them! Grrr! I sliced my scrapbook paper so it was 3" wide. I cheated a bit and used my fabric cutter and ruler! It worked WONDERFULLY!


I then took a small piece of box tape and taped the end down and rolled it on. I also took a small piece that I hid with washi tape! I love me some washi tape!


Take a square of fabric (about 6" or so) and stick on top of your jar. I then doubled up bakers twine and wrapped it around to make a bow! The tags said "My year is sure to be sweet with a teacher like you!" I then used different colored bakers twine to tie it on the jar as well!


So easy to do and super cute in the end! Have a blessed day!

Do you remember when I decided to do the Just Between Friends sale back in April?! Holy moly...its time consuming, time consuming, messy, cluttered, time consuming and kind of a pain! But you know what?! I got my crazy on...got the bug and decided to do it all over again! Wondering what the JBF sale is?! I have blog posts I did about it: HERE, HERE and HERE!


They changed things up a bit this year and have made it so you have a "universal" number so that if you would like to enter a Just Between Friends sale in another State or City you can easily do so and not have to change your tags! Cool idea...but. My number changed! That's OK I went through and changed pricing on some of my tagged items that were left over from the previous sale anyhow! It was JUST as stressful as the time before, but it was much easier! Now that I had one under my belt I had a system down! I even had a great system for when we arrived to disperse our items amongst the floor of the Expo center! A bag with ONLY shoes, a bag with ONLY books and movies, a basket with ONLY toys, a basket of miscellanous items and then all the clothes seperated by sex and size in baskets!


One thing that was pretty neat they did this time around, was if you had done the previous sale and had 3 or less items removed from the floor (after placed out there) then you were put on what they called a "preffered" list. This means you are able to come on a seperate day to bring your items in AND get to bi-pass having your items gone through and looked at (which is the LONGEST part once you are actually there!). I worked the night of so went the regular day and they put a gold sticker on my tag and I was good to go! It was WONDERFUL! In fact, I am able to do the same thing this next time IF I have 3 or less items rejected! Woo hoo! Talk about goals!

First night of tally's have already been posted! On my first night I have already made more than 1/2 of what I did the entire last sale! I tagged 199 items and already sold 51! I was thrilled that some of the items I REALLY wanted to sell (like a cradle that takes up our entire room and we decided we wanted to get a co-sleeper instead) for $50! I am once again not volunteering this year. Its not worth it for me. BUT they changed the way the room was set up this year and I didn't feel overwhelmed like the last time I was there! Next sale is in April...and of course I will most likely be IN the hospital! But you know what?! I think I may pre-tag everything and have my rockstar hubby take it all in since he has been my partner in crime each time I have gone! (something I highly recommend if your husband is willing and able! Hire a sitter and then have your husband tag team the floor with you!) I will keep you all posted on how I did! But I am pretty pleased for pulling late nighters and starting on Monday! (drop off was Wednesday!)

 Today I am having mixed heavy emotions. Today is a day I am so excited about...seeing my nugget on the screen and getting to watch my husbands reaction as he has his first meet and greet. But behind it is also pain. I can't stop thinking about the fact that my dad isn't here (read about it HERE...yes I have never found the energy to write the continued. But hope to one day). He will never get to know that he has another grandchild. He will never get to meet, see, hold or love these individuals I bring into this world and have more love for than anyone can even fathom. I have had a hard time since his death as I had a falling out so to speak with a family member who is hurting and didn't think I should be hurting since I had not been there. Something that was completely not even nearly OK for this person to say or do as they have NO idea what its like to have a father there...then not. Then there...then not. Then. POOF. Gone. Forever. The pain I have to live with inside my heart each day is overwhelming and for someone else to say those feelings are not OK or that I shouldn't be allowed to outwardly grieve the loss of someone I have loved my entire life. Even at the moments he wasn't there or didn't try is so unfair. The song that was played at his funeral is on the radio a lot. Its a song that really honestly couldn't be more perfect. It's Miranda Lambert's Over You. My dad passed in February. A few days shy of Valentines day and 2 weeks before my Birthday. It's hard. It's really weird when you fill out paperwork at the doctors office and the area where you check for your parents you have to fill one in as "deceased". A feeling at age 32, you don't expect. Especially suddenly. I miss him. I miss his voice on the phone when he said "Well. I lo-ove you." I regret that I couldn't put the hurt he caused me, behind us so we could move forward. I regret that he can't be here. That I can't pick up the phone and say "Guess what!". But at the same time I am trying to move forward. I am trying to stay positive, upbeat and smile. I try to not show the pain...and I pray that in some way he IS here. In fact, that he already knows our little nugget. This year has brought a lot of heart wrenching, gut bawling, tear stained moments. BUT. This year is also bringing one of the greatest gifts God could ever give us. I will get the joy of welcoming our newest addition early April. I will get to see a kicking, healthy happy baby on the screen at the very end of November. And I will get to feel more love than I have ever felt in my entire life. For when life hands you lemons...make lemon meringue pie.

I took this picture of my son yesterday as he bowed his head in prayer at his preschool! It melted my heart as I felt in that moment I had done my part as a mom, as a daughter of God and as a follower of Jesus. His eyes were squeezed tightly closed. His lips were silent and his head was bowed. I am blessed every day by these little people I call my children.

Lord, I pray that your love and your light shines like a beacon in the night, through them. I pray when they speak and they play that their hearts are filled with joy and others will be able to see you through them. I pray that they will learn to have the hands and feet of Jesus. That they will walk the walk and not just talk the talk. I pray for protection and safety everyday. And the gift of laughter and love. - Its in your name I pray...
                                                    Amen.

Today is something some may find super easy and others may find extremely difficult. But I challenge each one of you reading this to try it! I guarantee it will bring rays of sunshine to someone and could possibly change their entire outlook for the day! Are you ready for it?

Here....
       It....
         goes....

Today I want you to pick 5 people to compliment!

1. Your spouse - leave a post it note in their lunch or wallet telling them how blessed you are to be with/married to them. It could be long...or could be short and to the point! If you are away from eachother try a quick text!
2. Your Best Friend - leave it on their facebook page, call them or even send them a quick text! I like the idea of them being able to read it again later! For added smiles!
3. A child - for me it will be my own! But it could be any child...wow I LOVE how big your smile it is! It brightens up the whole room!
4. Someone you see daily - be it your barista, the checker at your local grocery store or the kid that pumps your gas (OK...so the gas part maybe only an Oregon thing!)
5. A complete stranger - This will be one that will be hard for most but trust me can be the most meaningful!

See! Not too hard...but sure to fill others hearts (and yours) with gladness! Have a blessed day!

This picture was 7 weeks! Add a few inches to it! Due to being so sick and not wanting food (not normal for me...I LOVE food!) I have lost 5 lbs. I am smaller than I was when I got pregnant with Noah! lol! Yep...he was #2! Needless to say because of my current situation of feeling completely horrid I have been slacking in the blogging department and also with listing new items to my shop! I must apologize! I have ideas GALORE running through my head and when it comes time to walk to my bedroom and turn on my computer I shudder at the thought of NOT laying down! I pray you can all forgive me! I am sad to say its amazing how something like this can affect those that follow you! Still a novice to the blogging world its such a bummer to notice you have lost the interest of some followers when you yourself are feeling your worst. To those that have stuck with me...from the bottom of my heart (and my wittle cookies!) thank you! I adore each and every one of you! Whenever I recieve a new comment on a post I literally grin from ear to ear and want to shout from the rooftops! YOU brighten my day and I am so blessed!

I just can't help myself! I must share a few pictures I took of my brand spankin' new niece yesterday! I am in love I tell ya! I have another little red haired niece!! YAY! She is a tiny sweet little bug and it was fun being there to experience her first bath at home and get to cozy up to her! Emily Grace immediately wanted to hold her from the second we waltzed into the door! BUT...I told her...hands off! MAMA is getting her baby fix! Eventually of course, she did hold her! It was pretty cute cause the second Ava Faith saw big sissy she yells "MY TURN" and was completely enamoured by her baby cousin! I don't think I need to worry about whether or not she will like being a big sister! I think that moment said it all! Without further ado...Haddie Lynn!