Fun on the Fourth and More

Summer has been pretty good so far! We've been knocking things off our Bucket List, which is good since I KNOW they will soon whine, "We didn't do ANYTHING this summer!" and I can directly point to the Bucket List.

We had some fun this Fourth of July, and I hope you all did, and took the time to remember what is really important about our countries Independence. 

 Made a yummy flag inspired dessert!

 Smoke Bombs are always a favorite, especially for Eli, he hates the noisy fireworks.

 Harrison rocking his Duck Dynasty shirt with sparklers.

 Eli, aka, Anakin Skywalker, even put on a brave face and used a sparkler.

 Managed to get a few fireworks shots!

Hope everyone had a great Fourth!!!

~~Amy

April Fool's Day!!

Did you notice anything different on my Badge Reels shop yesterday?? If you were observant you noticed my banner had changed!! :) It's a running joke that my shop Badge Reels, should be called Badger Eels because when people glance at it "badgereels" their mind reads it Badger Eels!! As a joke, I had a lovely friend of mine Kay, from the super talented Popincute create a hilarious banner for me based on that joke!

In case you missed it, here they are!

and my original banner, a beautiful piece of work from Studio Sien

I think Kay did a fabulous job capturing my original banners color and style while easing in the Badger Eels!!! How funny and adorable is it!?? Special thanks to Kay for her work and playing along with my joke! :)

Now I have this super fun Badger Eels banner on stand by! Whenever you see the Badger Eels banner, that means there is a special sale going on!! So check in often!!

Happy Belated April Fool's! :)
~~Amy

Another Year Almost Over..

Wow. Another year is almost done. We are literally about to start 2010! It just can't be. Yet it is!

It's been quite a year for me! This time last year I was getting the wonderful news that I did NOT have Multiple Sclerosis as I had been told I did months before. (Guess I just have odd things on my brain, no surprise.) Overall our family's health has been good and we had some changes.

Most importantly Eli was diagnosed with autism, explaining a lot of things about him. He's done well on the GFCF diet and it's a relief to know what is wrong. He's very high functioning (which can be a downfall at times because people just think he's a bad behaved child in the midst of a tantrum.) and he shows great potential for 'recovery'. The downside of all that is our insurance company didn't cover any of his testing so we're back in debt again.

But there is absolutely no room for complaining! Even though money is super tight, Paul has a job, and if need be I have no doubt God will help me find one. My businesses have the potential of actually helping supplement our income instead of just a hobby. We have a home, our health, family and friends.

We don't actually celebrate Christmas in our house, but I understand how it makes many people feel, more open to appeciating the things they have. So I challenge you to really sit back and look at what blessings you have and give thanks for them. Give your family a hug, learn to appreciate the possessions you DO have and not lust after things you don't need (trust me, this one is hard!) and enjoy the little things in life!

How was your year?

Get ready for some cool gifts!

Alas, despite the summer heat down here, it is indeed approaching the biggest shopping season of the year! Now, personally, I do not actually celebrate Christmas but am more than happy to provide lots of shopping for everyone else :) I also love to stalk the sales and see what's up for grabs during the holiday season!

Times are tough, money is tight. So perhaps it is more your idea this year to find one, good, meaningful, unique gift for your special someones? If that's you, keep reading because you can find lots of unique gifts on Artfire.com from thousands of talented artisans. The coolest thing is you can search from various gift guides to fit your needs! And because searches are random, you'll likely find something new each time you search!!

Here are some of MY faves!

Funky, unique magnets by PicardCreative.













Fantastic Baby Items in awesome colors and prints from a Louisiana resident,
KaroiColor











Fabulous cupcake soaps--do not eat, Norma is not responsible for your butt bubbles!!














Or maybe you want to get ready for fall now with this awesome handmade leaf bowl from Harmon Art!


No matter what you're looking for, search the Artfire Gift Guides for all your gifts in ANY season!! :)

Of course, if you'd like to purchase from MY Lovely shops I can be found in a few gift guides myself :)

~Amy