just for fun. 100 dresses.

i'm not usually an awards show watcher. not much into very rich and famous and loony people praising their "work" sure it's hard work and they are good at it... but try scraping boogers of elementary school desks sometime. that's real dedication to your job. i do, however, look at the pictures of the dresses online the next day. it's sort of as close to playing dress up as a 3o ish mom can get. so i was very excited when my boredom was cured late last night when i found this: a list of the 100 best dresses of the decade. admittedly, these dresses are obviously things i'd never wear, but as a project runway junky, i love to see what people create and some of them are so beautiful. a few of my favorites:








so now i'm wondering what you think? which dress takes you back to when you were five years old playing in your mom's high heels, trying on your grandma's big sparkly ring? i spent most of my time either playing with trucks in the mud or pretending to be a fancy lady. ironic huh.
....so, humor me?! click here and browse the dresses and tell me the ones you like in the comments? In a few days i'll collect your loves and post the results. please schedule in some time wasting. trust me, it's going to be fun.

imperfect perfection

this is my christmas present. it cost $.50 at my local thrift store. i heart old plates. i also heart thrift stores. and finding the perfect present for $.50 makes it that much sweeter. off to play all day with the crazy kids! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

i have to tell you something.

my kids are asking what i want for christmas. i shy away from telling them that even santa can't bring me what i want. so i just repeat the age old typical mother answer, "i just want my kids to be nice to each other and not fight for one whole day."

he's gone. we miss him terribly. these are pictures of the night he left, pardon my face devoid of life and color. it was a rough day.

my uncle gunther has come to stay with us while mike is gone. he's my favorite. he's got a barrel chest, one arm missing a hand, (great story i'll tell you one day) a faded dagger tattoo on the other arm and kind eyes. when i was little he used to give us jerky from the deer hunt and airplane rides. he'd grab the back of our shirts and twirl around so we felt like we were flying. anyway he's an x marine, and a few years ago he retired, bought an rv, and then, tragically, his wife died suddenly. so after cruising the country for a few years he brought his rv here to explore alaska with us. it's very comforting having my favorite uncle sleeping downstairs with his 30 aut six, and a knife in his teeth. just kidding about the knife. anyway, uncle g, thanks for coming!!
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in defense of flocking.

I've always wondered what would make people spray fake snow allover their christmas tree. living in alaska has allowed me to discover the origins. it's been foggy here for a week. we haven't had snow fall since thanksgiving. yet, i took these pictures today. the fog condenses then freezes on the branches. and everything is covered in 2 inches of frost. and there you have it. someone who once lived in the frozen north tried to recreate it with chemicals. maybe after moving to hawaii or arizona or some other sun soaked locale. it's an awesome phenomena. it's one of the things that makes life in a dark and cold alaskan winter possible. i love it.


here's our christmas tree, sans flocking. i've no need for chemical spray snow here. but next christmas when i'm staring out my window at a brown and snowless landscape, i'll probably sprint to wal-mart and buy a can.

christmas wreath

not to complain....but, my camera stinks. this is the best pic i could get of a wreath i made with various picks i bought @ joanns. frosted berries, lime green sequins, and golden glittery leaves. oh and some sparkley green apples. i just can't find a decent wreath, even target is disappointing in the dept. this year. so i had to resort to making my own. big sacrifice, i know.
enjoy and copy if you so desire.

would you like to send the most gorgeous christmas cards you can buy... for only $. 09?

So... I cruise esty. It's like e-bay for the handmade obssesive compulsive. And i found a bunch of different people who make up christmas cards. you know like the kind you buy at wal-mart or shutterfly or other places for around .55 cents each. after buying a giant .41 cent stamp (seriously, 41 cents?) It's lookin' to be about a dollar a piece to send to family and friends. let's change that.

Andrea Gerig has the best designs on etsy. trust my hours of searching here people. I sent her a picture, she sent me a finished card, I uploaded it to wal-marts photo site and paid 9 cents for each card. I bought 45 cards (and maybe i'll need more...they are seriously so cute.) Andrea charges $12.00 for each design, and I get to keep it forever. That works out to be about a quarter per card. so even with the printing costs I still saved at least 2 dimes per card! and it's not generic, and i don't have to pay shipping. we all win here people. you get a cute card in the mail, and i get a deal. so go over and check Andrea out, and you won't even have to write a braggy christmas letter to go with your card because your custom designed card will do all the braggin' for you.