Oh HAPPY Day Link Party

Welcome back to the Oh HAPPY Day Link Party!

Time to celebrate what is giving us JOY and making us HAPPY this week.  It is so easy to get bogged down and lost in the negative.  Let's take a moment and celebrate the positive.

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Today I am happy that my old broken oven has been replaced with a brand new fully functioning one!  It is times like this when being a renter and letting the landlord pay for new appliances is a good thing.  

I am also happy for all the great blogs who joined up last week.  Thank you for making the first week of Oh HAPPY Day a good one!

Speaking of last week, the top two blogs with the most views were Evelyn @ My Turn(for us) and Becky @ This is Happiness!  Way to go ladies! 

 Now on to the Party!

The rules are pretty simple:  

Have fun and say HI to as many other party goers as possible.  =)  

If you would like to spread the word, please grab a button and put it on your blog. 

 

<a href="http://notdonegrowing.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyG_2kPV1gwFIiOpm6tbw993FkxtYl2Xl2Ose9gka8AJWcDsVvkh1PI_BnePqoz8FlCWdN1bc_BQ2NOnqCerfMUY2uCDlQLnUEi9C_3x4bz9X228gQ12DVCVQ5vgY2xxmCgdclV4cXeHd/s512/buttons-004.jpg"/></a>

Love is in the air...

With Valentine's Day this week, I thought I would take a break from my paczki eating today and whip up a card for the hubs.  I'm sure he will laugh at me for making the card, but at this point why not give him a giggle.  He married silly and he knows it!  =)

I made the love word art using My Memories Suite.  Then just printed it out, cut out a couple of hearts and used chipboard letters I had laying around.  Easy peasy... are you all noticing a craft theme here?  

Any who, in the spirit of sharing the love this week; I am also giving you an early valentines with some free printables.  So you can make up some quick cards if needed!

I am using this one as the background on my desktop this week:
 

download HERE

 Here is the pink version that I used for my card:

download HERE

Finally, a simple white version:

download HERE

  
For those of you wondering what on earth a paczki is, you can read all about my history with the Fat Tuesday traditions here!

Meditation Monday

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Happy Monday!  This week is all about starting fresh for me.  My healthy living goals for the new year were sidelined a bit by a minor pulled muscle.  I am feeling stronger and have my mind made up that it is time for a new start.  This week I give myself permission to let go of the bad thoughts and opinions floating around in my brain; and to replace them with strong, positive ones in stead!

P.S.  Don't forget to stop by again on Wednesday for the 
Oh HAPPY Day Link Party!
 

52 Weeks of Kindness

We made it to another Friday; which means it is time for My three bittles 52 Weeks link party. 

This week was a great week for kindness over here!  It started with leaving our waitress an extra tip in the form of a Starbucks gift card.  We went out to eat on Sunday morning.  The place was filling up when we left, so I'm sure she enjoyed a little pick me up after a hectic work shift! 

This morning I was treated to an act of kindness from Evelyn over at My Turn(for us).  She featured my Charity of the Month post on her Freedom Fridays Link Party.  Thank you so much Evelyn, you are a rock star!

Finally this week, I am running a pretty neat giveaway to celebrate the first Oh HAPPY Day Link Party.  Free stuff, that has to be an act of kindness!  =)  The party runs every Wednesday, but you can enter the giveaway through Sunday.

Quick and Easy Valentine's Day Banner

If you have been following me, you should know by now that my crafting philosophy is to make it cute but make it quick.  I'm all about getting to the end results more than the actual process.  My husband always says that patience is not one of my virtues!  =)

Following my typical pattern, today I have for you an easy peasy Valentine's Banner.  It is really so easy no instructions are needed... the pictures pretty much speak for themselves!

 

 OK, just in case your brain does not work like mine... here's the step by step:  

• cut out paper hearts
• use a big needle to sew ribbon through 3 of the hearts
• attach the heart filled ribbons to another piece of ribbon

See, easy peasy!  =)

 







Don't forget to enter the Oh HAPPY Day Giveaway before it ends on 2/10!

Oh HAPPY Day Link Party & GIVEAWAY

 Welcome to the first Oh HAPPY Day Link Party!

Each week I'd like to celebrate what is giving us JOY and making us HAPPY.  It is so easy to get bogged down and lost in the negative.  Let's take a moment and celebrate the positive.

I have been planning and thinking about doing a link party for a few weeks now.  The fact that it is finally happening is one thing making me happy today.  I am also grateful that my family is all back to being healthy!

To celebrate this first party, I am hosting a Giveaway!  

West Elm has a great selection of just about anything you could want.  I am currently in love with their Market offerrings!

There are several ways to enter, please see the Rafflecopter widget for details.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now on to the Party!

The rules are pretty simple:  

Have fun and say HI to as many other party goers as possible.  =)  

If you would like to spread the word, please grab a button and put it on your blog. 
 

<a href="http://notdonegrowing.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyG_2kPV1gwFIiOpm6tbw993FkxtYl2Xl2Ose9gka8AJWcDsVvkh1PI_BnePqoz8FlCWdN1bc_BQ2NOnqCerfMUY2uCDlQLnUEi9C_3x4bz9X228gQ12DVCVQ5vgY2xxmCgdclV4cXeHd/s512/buttons-004.jpg"/></a>

Feburary is American Heart Month

Did you know that this month is Heart Month?  I'm not talking about all the cute red and pink hearts floating around either.  This month, as we celebrate Valentine's Day and remind those we love what they mean to us; it is also a good time to stop and check in on the heath and well being of our own hearts.  I'm talking about the actual muscle here... not our love life!

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in this country.  That's 1 out of every 4 deaths!  It is a staggering number.  The good news is that heart disease is preventable and controllable.  The key is to have all the facts on hand and to take action.  

Believe me, I know it is not an easy road.  My family is dealing with the effects of heart disease right now.  My mom is in the hospital having a procedure done today.  I know the struggles and anxieties first hand.  Thankfully her prognosis is good, and she will hopefully be back to her old self again soon.

Again, the key to preventing and managing heart disease is to be proactive!  I hope that this post and the sites below will help you to get the ball rolling, or open up the conversation with a love one.  

American HEART Association

     

My Life Check @ American Heart Assoc.

CDC Heart Month

Meditation Monday

Happy Monday!  This week's image for us to focus on is all about keeping happiness in our hearts.  The more we can connect to our own inner source of joy, the better our outlook will be.  Plus you will become a source of joy and happiness for those around you as well!

Enjoy your week!

P.S.  Coming soon - Oh HAPPY Day Link Party, more details coming!

Simple Felt Table Runner

A few weeks ago I decided that I needed a new cover for my table.  I'm not a huge fan of table clothes.  The little bear seems to like to play with them too much... I do like runners though.

This runner was inspired from Kelly Wilkinson's book Weekend Handmade.  My sister bought this book for me for my birthday, and I must say that it is simply a lovely book.  Full of simple yet elegant craft ideas.  Most of which can easily be completed in a weekend, or even in an hour or so.  I highly recommend it to crafters of all skill levels. 
 
Any who, this project really could not be easier.  All you need is a piece of felt, good scissors, and shape templates.  If you are good at free styling, you do not even need the templates.  I opted for cups and bowls of different shapes for my circles.

Yes, those are Dr. Who salt & pepper shakers... how awesome!

 
Really, it is too easy to even do a proper tutorial.  The key though is to have sharp scissors and make sure that you cut the felt in nice long strokes.  That will make your cut lines neat.  So all you do is cut the felt to the size you want your runner, then cut out shapes to decorate it.  Easy peasy.  

 

I opted to outline my circles with a zigzag stitch, but really this is optional as well.  The stitching made the circles a bit wonky, but I say that just shows that they are made with love and not store bought! 

Have fun and be creative!  I hope you enjoy.

February Charity of the Month: Operation HomeFront

 Operation HomeFront’s mission is to provide emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.  They have an excellent rating as a charitable organization, with 94 cents of every dollar going towards service members and their families.

Our service men and women sign up to protect our rights and freedoms.  They do so with a sense of duty that is commendable.  We cheer at parades on Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July; but most days this sacrifice is taken for granted. 

Even more telling are the stories of the families left at home.  So many of them struggle just to get buy, not having enough income to buy diapers or pay the rent.  Not only are they sacrificing having their partner, parent, son or daughter safe at home; they are struggling to put food on their table!  

Operation HomeFront seeks to help in any way they can.  On their Current Needs page, you can donate to specific requests from service members.  Most of the stories are heartbreaking.  You can also donate to their general fund.  

During the month of February, I will donate $1 to Operation HomeFront for the first 25 new followers to my blog AND the first 25 new likes on my Facebook page.


We can do more for these heroes and their families.  With your help Operation HomeFront will!