Giveaway Winner!

Time to announce the winner of my scripture plaque giveaway!!

 The winnner is-

 OhioMomPatriot! 

Congrats!!!

 You have 48 hours to get back to me or another winner will be chosen! 

I have an AWESOME giveaway starting Monday, so make sure to come back then to check it out and enter!

Last Day To Enter!

 Hi friends!

 Today is the last day to enter my giveaway!

If you haven't entered, go HERE to enter! Ends tonight at 11:59pm! 

Winner will be announced TOMORROW!

SYTYCD Thursday #7

Welcome to the 7th edition of SYTYCD Thursdays here at I HEART My Glue Gun!

 I LOVED last night's performances! I've said it once, and I'll say it again-these dancers are TALENTED! 

 So without further ado, I bring you my favorites from last night!

 I absolutely LOVE Ade! Out of all 8 seasons, he is by far my favorite dancer EVER! He is so strong, so humble and just so incredible! You rock, Ade!

Thought this dance with Tadd and Lauren was awesome!

I thought this dance with Marko and one of my all time faves Allison was amazing too!

But  this is my all time favorite dance of the night! So stinkin' cool! However, they compared it to the dance with Neil and Danny dance from Season 3 but I have to disagree-that dance outshined this one! 

So what did ya think of Lady Gaga? What was your favorite dance? Which didn't you like? Who's going home tonight?!

I'm home

 Well what a whirlwind week this has been! We had my sweet girl's 2nd  Birthday party last Saturday, and then headed out to Las Vegas Sunday morning!

 Here is some tidbits from our vacation:

+Our 2 year old daughter hates clowns+

+Our 7 year old son likes sitting at slot machines next to smoking ladies, unbeknownst to his parents+

+It is HOT HOT HOT in Las Vegas!+

+I want to stay at the Bellagio someday+

+Going on vacation with two babies under 2 is INSANELY difficult+

Our sweet 2 year old at her birthday party

The rollercoaster in the Adventuredome at Circus Circus (our boys rode this SEVEN times)

The Bellagio Fountains

The Mirage Volcano

Excuse the lack of inspiring posts, I've been so beat since coming home from vacation, and we're also dealing with a family emergency with my Grandfather. 

 So bear with me for a bit.

 In the meantime, have you entered my Giveaway, featuring my beautiful scripture plaque?

If not, go HERE to enter! You have until 11:59pm Friday!

Guest Posting Over At House Of Hepworths!

 I know, I know, another guest post! SQUEAL!

 Today I will be guest posting over at House Of Hepworths, which is SO COOL because today is my daughter's SECOND BIRTHDAY!! Yippee!

So hop on over to her blog and see what's happenin'!

SYTYCD Thursday #6

Hey everyone! I'm back, and EXHAUSTED. I could have never imagined how much work it would be to "vacation" with a 23 month old and an 11 month old. WOW. But more on that later!

 It's time for So You Think You Can Dance Thursdays!

Here's the ones I LOVED-

ABSOLUTE FAVORITE because it involves one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE dancers, Allison! Such a beautiful dance!

AND LOVE Kathryn! Such a beautiful dancer! This piece was AWESOME.

Thought this piece was beautiful as well. I usually have an "issue" with Jordan, but this was danced so amazingly, I just love it :) It helps that Brandon was dancing it too, one of the most skilled dancers I have seen in my LIFE.

 So how about you? What did you like? Which didn't you like? Has a dancer finally grown on you? Are you happy with the Top 10?

As for me, still lovin' Melanie! Although I wasn't crazy about the Viennese waltz. I'm also not a fan of the hip hop routines, they are my least favorite dance styles.

I think the Top 10 are amazing dancers, and am pleased with who remains! :)

Guest Posting over at Craft-O-Maniac!

Hey everyone!

Today I'm guest posting over at Craft-O-Maniac! So go check it out!

 If you're visiting from Craft-O-Maniac, WELCOME! I'm on vacation this week, but I'm thrilled that you came to visit! So stay a minute and take a look around!

 Hope you all are having a wonderful week! So glad to be on vacation, hopefully it'll be SLIGHTLY relaxing. Although with 4 kids, I doubt it!

SYTYCD Thursday #4 & #5

Oh gosh, I have neglected poor SYTYCD! I've been SO incredibly busy this week! Between opening up my etsy shop, to working on decorations and planning my sweet daughter's SECOND birthday party Saturday, to getting ready to go on vacation SUNDAY...CRAZY!

 But I need to make up for missing last week, so let's get goin'!

Last week's Melanie and Marko Dance=LOVE.

I thought this one was danced impeccably by Mitchell and Caitlynn!

And the people who went home last week were:

Ashley and Chris

Now onto this week!

Loved this Paso Doble with Sascha and Alexander!

I thought Caitlynn and Mitchell's dance was kinda weird and didn't give me the impression that it was representing children needing to be freed.

And, of course, my girl Melanie! So so amazing, and it was by far my favorite dance!

So how about you? Which ones did YOU like? Which ones didn't you like?

 The dancers who went home are: (highlight below to see)

Ryan and Alexander

500 Follower Giveaway!

Friends!

 I am so excited to have reached 500 followers! I am thankful for each and every one of you, and am so glad you're following!

With that, I have some exciting news to share....I have opened an etsy shop! I will be selling Scripture Plaques, and anyone who knows me knows scripture is dear to my heart! 

Here's some things you can find in my shop....

PLEASE go check it out HERE!

 So, since I've reached 500 followers and I want to show my appreciation, I've decided to do a giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive this plaque from my shop!

Galatians 5:22

Want it? Let's do this!

 1st ENTRY-MUST be a follower via GFC! (leave a separate comment)

 2nd ENTRY-Post about my etsy shop on facebook and leave a comment here with a link to your post.

http://www.iheartmygluegun.etsy.com

 3rd ENTRY-Add my etsy shop to your favorites on etsy (leave a separate comment)

 4th ENTRY- Post about this giveaway on your blog (leave a separate comment)

 Giveaway will run until July 29th @ 11:59pm.

GOOD LUCK!

A Winner!

Hey everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

 I need to announce the winner of the cute little birdies, and that is:

COMMENT #48!

Congrats Lacey! Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize!

I enjoyed reading EVERYONE'S summer plans, you guys have some seriously awesome stuff planned! 

As for us, we're going to Las Vegas in 9 days! We're taking the kids to Circus Circus and we're gonna let them have at it! Should be EXTREMELY tiring....but hopefully fun.

Are You A No Reply Commenter?

 Ok,  I've seen stuff on this time and time again, so I thought that the majority of blog commenters were "in the know". However, I keep getting comments and when I go to reply to them, I can't! Know why?

 Because some of you guys don't display an email in your profile! Now, I could understand choosing to do this if you felt like it was a privacy issue...totally get that. But if that's the case, then you can always create a FREE email strictly for blogging.

 I can't tell you how bad I feel when someone compliments me or my blog, and when I go to respond...I can't! GAH! I am usually thinking,"I hope they don't think I'm a blog snob who enjoys the comments but can't find the second it takes to reply back..."

 I really enjoy your comments! So give me the chance to get back to YOU! 

 My girl over at Eisy Morgan gives you a step by step on how to fix this! So check it out HERE!

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Let me throw a couple of other things out there!

1. I am WELL aware that I reached 500 followers. I am so excited, and I have some awesome giveawayS in the works to commemorate this, so you better be perusing my blog and checking back to see if I posted them yet!

2. We went over to some friends last night for dinner, and stayed till TEN. TEN! They were such gracious hosts, but I'm sure they were like,"Leave already, people!" 

HOWEVER: Due to the fact that we weren't home, I didn't get to watch SYTYCD! So hopefully I can catch up today or tomorrow and post....or maybe I'll bundle it all up next week. Not sure yet...but Forgive me! :)

 Almost Friiiiday!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER!

Ahhh. Swing music station on Directv playing. Girls napping. Boys with Auntie. You know what THAT means! Blog time.

For the Fourth Of July, I wanted to bring treats when going to see fireworks. So I made strawberry cupcakes, and chocolate chip cookies.

 Now, when it comes to cookies, I am VERY hesitant to make them...it seems I'm plagued with the same issue every time: I whip the ingredients together, anxiously wait for them to be finished baking, and then the moment of truth....

They come out flatter than a pancake! 

UGH!

So a few times I've searched for "thick chocolate chip cookies" and have found and made decent cookies...but this time, I found THE ONE.

Behold, the BEST chocolate chip cookie!

 No pancake cookie here! Look how thick it is! So so so good!

Today, I'll share with you this amazing recipe that brought great joy to my heart.

Thick, Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 cup real butter, at room temperature

* 1/2 cup shortening

* 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

* 2 teaspoons vanilla

* 2 large eggs

* 1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1 Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

2 In a separate bowl, beat butter and shortening until creamy.

3 Add sugar and vanilla and beat with a mixer on medium speed until well blended.

4 Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well.

5 Add flour mixture, and beat slowly to incorporate, then beat to blend well.

6 Stir in chocolate chips.

7 Drop batter in 2-tablespoon portions about 2 inches apart on baking sheets ( I used an icecream scoop for this part!)

8 Bake in a 375°F preheated oven until edges of cookies are brown but an area about 1 inch wide in the center is still pale, about 10 minutes.

9 If using 2 pans in 1 oven, switch positions at half-time.

10 Let cookies cool on pan about 5 minutes, then transfer to racks with a spatula.

NOM NOM NOM!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow night for SYTYCD Thursdays! Take the button and share it so others can come too!

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Hoo Are You Tuesday!

Hi friends! I am SO stinkin' beat today! When I went to write this earlier, I was so tired so I decided to hop in bed and take advantage of the boys being gone with my sister and the girls napping! But, I'm refreshed and ready to play!

1. How did you spend the 4th of July?

 We shopped a little bit, came home and barbecued, went to see fireworks at the fairgrounds, came home and set our fireworks and then I hopped in bed at midnight!

2. What was a couple of your favorite things you ate for the 4th of July?

 Cookies and cupcakes of course! LOL! 

3. Did you watch fireworks?

 Yes, they were extra cool this year! The finale was incredible and went on for awhile! Best finale I've EVER seen!

4. What is your favorite firework?

 Well last night we had a new one from TnT called "aquarium"...that one was cool! It had little red bursts at the very end, super vibrant and rich in color!

5. How hot was it where you were for the 4th?

 Lately it's been 105+, but yesterday we had a desert storm so it was only in the 90s but with tons of humidity, and lightning and thunder. Gross!

 Hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday!

Happy Fourth!!

Happy Fourth Of July!

 I hope you all enjoy the day, however you spend it! 

It's a chair worth sitting on!

Today is my Grandmother's funeral, and my Husband's officiating it. So it will be quite a day today. Therefore I've scheduled this post, it's the post I did over at TYPE A this last Monday.

So!

Today I want to show you a chair that I picked up at a local thrift shop for $7.00

I was totally drawn in by the floral design on top....so pretty! But, the chair could use a makeover. So that's what it got!

 First things first-disassemble the chair.

Lookin' better already.

 Now it's got a fresh coat of Rustoleum's Heirloom White....stinkin' LOVE this color!

Then I applied some ralph lauren faux technique glaze (so glad I got this stuff before they discontinued it!) 

I got it into all the little crevices and let it sit for a minute before wiping it off with a wet rag.

I then used the burlap I bought at walmart for $1.68 to cover the seat. 

I stapled the flat sides first, and then gathered the corners by pinching them, then pressing them down and stapling.

And then the chair appears to be finished!

 Only, I feel like it's missing something! So after some thought, I came up with something-a monogram of our last name's letter. So I busted out my cricut (a.k.a. My PRECIOUS) and whipped up a "G" monogram.

I cut my "G" out on contact paper that I got at the $0.99 cents store, and stuck it to the chair seat.

 After dabbing with paint and letting it dry, I CAAARRREFULLLY pulled back the stencil and voila! A beautiful "G" monogram, which I think provided the PERFECT touch to my chair!

 So there you have it! From Shabby to Chic, and PERFECT for our bathroom vanity!

Hope you all have a wonderful Fourth Of July weekend!