i'm back!

after and extended break, and many crazy life changes, i am back! as the blogging continues revelations of those monsterous changes will come, but as for now i leave you tired and with the quote above. live, love and share the happiness!

laughter.

laughter. simple and sweet at any age. i love it. of all the laughs i have heard, my favorite has got to be my boys laughter. for the longest time i had each one of my boys laughs from when they were babies as a ringtone on my phone! it starts as a giggle then turns to a stomach cramping laugh that can't help but make you smile.

while i was pregnant with my first, laughter was a pretty big part of my pregnancy. previous to getting pregnant i was not the happiest person in the world, down right depressed actually. my mom would later describe it as a very long period with no laughter. suddenly, whether because of hormones or joy of a new life, i was laughing and laughing hard. everything was, "i'm gonna pee my pants" funny! from movies, to jokes, dinner conversations to silly words, i was a giddy little school girl. it truly was a great time. at the time i had moved back home with my parents, being a soon to be single mother and all, and everytime a laughter episode would erupt my family would be forced to join in. then, just as i was finally calming down my mother would announce, "it really wasn't that funny, jess, we were laughing at you". haha, i didn't care, it was funny to me.

laughter is truly the best medicine for all things in life. a measurement of good times in my life is the amount of laughter enjoyed. i think of the laughing cow commercial, "have you laughed today?"

house cleaning.

ok, while cleaning my house is not a favorite of mine, having a clean home is. my family and i have been living in our home for over a year and have yet to make it our own. there are a ridiculous number of things that don't have a place and so even when the house is spotless, it still look cluttered. so my hubby is out of town for a week, the kids are off to grandmas for the day. i have decided (once i am done blogging of course ^_^) to clean house. top to bottom cleaning and tossing out the stuff we don't need or use. yay! wish me luck! oh, and to top it off, i am surprising my husband so when he gets home from his business trip, he will arrive to a brand new home :)

buttons.

mini buttons are sooo much fun! these buttons were featured on theknot.com wedding blog. they were used as a wedding favor for a couples wedding and i think they are freakin fabulous! don't you?!

work. usually a favorite.

My first pochette announcement!! I was so excited to venture out and try a new invitation/announcemnt. The idea was fabulous and so simple (in my head) and then the "punching began". As you can see in the picture I use a small tool, that I was soooo excited about getting and still love btw, to "punch these slits in the pochette to hold a picture or whatever. Seem simple enough, punch, place picture, fold, tie ribbon and throw on a backing for added decor...well a 1/2 hour later while I am STILL punching the slits this fabulous idea became work...ugh! Long story short I am waiting for one more piece to arrive before I can show the completed product, and I know I will have a lot more of these to do...but for now I am happy to be done "punching" for the day :)

[story also blogged at chic design's official blog]

green.

green and white! whether it be for a simple backyard bbq, a themed birthday or a lavish wedding, i love it! this table set up came from an inspiration gallery on marthastewartliving.com

free writing kit giveaway.

WIN FREE WRITING KIT! CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTRY FORM AND CONTEST DETAILS AND RULES! (no purchase neccessary!)

heart.

hearts for haiti Etsy.com . shop for handmade items that you will love and help support a cause at the same time!! can't beat that! the piece pictured was donated by archaic designs for hearts for haiti and is listed at $90. however you can shop in all price ranges so check it out!

social networks.

gotta love it. for business owners, it is a fabulous way to advertise your products or services for free and for everyone else it makes it pretty easy to keep in touch with those you don't see that often. as for me, i use it for both. i grew up in three states and moved a loth within those states, so to have a venue to keep in touch with those i find dear has been amazing and i can't image the lost communications without it. thank you facebook :)

a good man.

a tribute to the change you dreamt of and how you lived your life to see that change happen. thank you for all you did, and the legacy you left!