Snapshot Saturday~Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Blogland!

This week's Snapshot Saturday features a Doctor totally able to fix you all up first aid style when that adorable bee bites you!

This picture was taken last weekend before we headed off to our church's Trunk-or-Treat/Fall Festival. (If it's possible, I know they will look even better tonight.)

The minis were just so adorable and you should have seen Mini #2 covered in chocolate after someone gave her a Hershey Kiss...down the sleeves of her shirt and of course, she grabbed me before I could stop her so my shirt had chocolate claw marks on it.

Mini #1 is totally digging the real lab coat and stethoscope thanks to his Grammy. It is also incredibly ironic that he wanted to be a doctor...the child SCREAMED at the mention of a doctor for the first few years of life.

I am praying that the weather cooperates for trick or treating tonight.

Have a spooktacular weekend!!!!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

The sun'll come out

Tomorrow

So ya gotta hang on

'Til tomorrow

Come what may

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

I love ya Tomorrow!

You're always

A day
Away!

Now that you'll be singing that song all day (you're welcome or I'm terribly sorry.)

Let's call this Friday Fragments...

Tomorrow, Molly Lou Sister and Brother-in-law are running a 5k in town. This is their first race of any kind, a small one for many of you, but Mini #1 made a "Go" sign and drew pictures for her.

Mr. Molly Lou will be home this evening and he and Mini #1 need to decide the jack-o-lantern design as we have a Halloween packed day tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the last day to receive FREE return address on all Embossed Graphics stationery in our shop. Check out all of our additions and great products. Most sets come with 50 notes or cards (some with 100) and the return address is a thermography raised ink in note/card ink color choice. Gift your friends b

The Notable Note has been a favorite for years. You get to choose your paper and ink color. This can be a fun note with a fuchsia monogram or an elegant note with an ivory paper and mocha monogram. And, they are only $30.95 for 50 notes.

Also, tomorrow is the last day for Molly Lou Gifts to give 100% of profits the non-profit cancer fighting organization, Spirit Jump from the sale of our Think Pink and Love and Hope Breast Cancer Awareness. These are only $10 and we are happy to add personalization to these for free.

Have a spooktacular weekend. I can't wait to hear all the stories on Monday!

PS-Mini #1's class party was a success. You all are such great friends...thanks for the comments, emails, and tweets.

Haphazard Thursday~Life changes...

Today is the day...

Today is the HalloweenParty and PARADE for Mini #1. This is such a big deal to him and he is so very excited.

I stayed up until almost 2 am last night making treat bags full of little goodies, getting the craft ready for all the little minis this morning, and other household chores. Bats will be made (say a little prayer using black paint with three year olds in costume), pumpkins will be decorated, and fun will be had. We will have lunch and then the big Halloween parade with the entire school.

The thing that I kept thinking about last night: It is almost one o'clock in the morning and I am making treat bags for my son's class and folding clothes.

MY HOW MY LIFE HAS CHANGED!!! :)

Have a great day.

PS-Since it is Haphazard Thursday, I must share this tidbit. My hair is horrible. Totally not cooperating and I can feel it mocking me each morning as I try to do SOMETHING to it. I must do something and fast before the hair wins.

Worthwhile Wednesday~Free, Fabulous, and Fun!

Happy Wednesday ya'll! Hope you're having a great day! I ended up being a substitute at Mini #1's school today so I was unexpectedly gone all day, but that is a story for another day. You all know how I am about schedules so I am feeling EXTREMELY behind today.

Our Holiday plates are still 15% off and will be until Sunday...get your shopping on. These are so fantastic, practical, stylish, festive, and durable. They are made of melamine and are guaranteed not to break. Enjoy years of holiday memories with these plates, platters, bowls, and trays. Give a pair, a set of 4, or a family size of 8. Get a holiday treat for yourself. Order one, bake some cookies, and give as a gift to a hostess, teacher, or neighbor. Check out all of our holiday designs here.

FREE return address on all Embossed Graphics Stationery until Saturday. I just added a few new items yesterday. My new favorite is this Elise Monogram Note...isn't the embossed monogram stunning, elegant, and unusual? This would make a great gift.

Another staple gift for graduations, engagements, or housewarming is the Clairty Ensemble. You get 100 cards embossed in two sizes with your name or any one line of personalization. These are less and .50 a card and adding the return address is another savings of $32.00. You get to choose your paper color: white, pink, ivory, or blue.

How cute are these Pink Houndstooth folded notes? Coasters...we have some new coaster designs just in and I adore them. This is a set that is a bit different from the others, an elegant, yet simple single initial and is new-I added it yesterday. You get 50 coasters and an acryllic holder to keep them in...perfect hostess gifts.

November starts our month full of giveaways and weekly specials. Have a great day!

Playing Real-life

Mini #1 loves to play. We play anything and everything and lately he has been really in to roleplaying and playing different characters from books and television shows and then we recreate the exact scene from said television episodes or book pages.

It is always he and I and sometimes if the characters allow, he will let Mini #2 on the action as well. The same goes for Mr. Molly Lou.

Our resumes include:
Little Einsteins-I am June, Mini #1 is Leo, Mini #2 is Annie (brother and sister in the show), and Mr. ML is Quincy

Guess How Much I Love You: Mini #1 is Little Nutbrown Hare and I am Big Nutbrown Hare

Dora: I am Dora, he is Boots; Diego-he is Diego, I am Alecia

Olivia: I am Olivia, he is Ian, and Mini #2 is William

Sesame Street: He is Elmo, I am Zoe, Mini #2 is Abby, and Mr. ML is Grover. (He does a FANTASTIC Grover voice.)

Thomas: We alternate being different trains depending on the scene that Mini #1 wants to play out. I have experience being James, Percy, Gordon, Sir Topham Hatt, Daisy, Lady, Stanley, just to name a few.

Max and Ruby:He is Max and I am Ruby.

The Berentstein Bears: You Guessed it...I am Mama Bear, Mr. is Papa Bear, he is Brother Bear, and Mini #2 is Sister Bear.

This is just to name a few...I am really building quite the resume with my cartoon and literary starring roles and also have a slight personality disorder as I can't remember who the hay I am supposed to be. Mini #1 is VERY particular that these scenes or play moments go exactly as the writers wrote them. I giggle at how particular he is and how stressed he gets if we don't say the script as written. He corrects me and says "Mom, that's not right. You're supposed to say _________." OOPS! We usually go through a handful of characters a day.

Just last night, we portrayed Curious George and I was the Man with the Yellow Hat from the book Curious George Goes to the Zoo. What a riot it was to watch George feed those animals at the zoo, get in trouble from the zookeepers, and then George and the Man with the Yellow Hat save the day and get to go to the exhibit for free.

This morning he asks me if I want to play Mini #1* and Mom.

Should I be worried that my child wants to know if I want to play real life?

Come to think of it, there are plenty of times when it would be nice to play real life and then move on to playing something else.

*He uses his real name. It would add even more humor to the situation if he referred to himself as Mini #1. Have a great day.

Oh Goodness Grace!

Happy Monday ya'll!

If you haven't checked out Good Will Grace, I would love for you to pop over and take a peek. I have mentioned my friend Whitney from That Girl and Her Pug before and now she is going to be writing weekly over at GWG. I am thrilled that she is jumping on board and can't wait to see what she has to say each week.

I know that I struggle daily with my identity. As life changes, so do my issues...motherhood, friendship, business owner, wife, etc. Whitney is going to tackle those issues in "Finding That Girl" and her intro. post is up today.

Have a great day. Let us know what you think!

Snapshot Saturday~Where the Path Leads...

We went to visit Mr. Molly Lou last weekend at his new job locale and we found the most charming and perfect park. It used to be a large estate, but was left to the city in the 1970's and had to be used as a public park and gardens. There were paths, ponds, an amphitheater, a sensory garden, and live oaks galore. We had the best time roaming around and getting lost in this "secret garden."

I love this picture of Mini #1 running down this path of live oaks...I wonder where his path will lead?

Have a great weekend!

Dear Neighbor...

{Let me start this by setting a scene...The Molly Lou family lives on a cul-de-sac street. Most of the roads that run perpendicular to our street are also cul-de-sac. The point of this is that there isn't a lot of through traffic and most peeps out and about are in the neighborhood.}

Dear Neighbor,

Hello there! Let me take a moment to introduce myself. I am the neighbor that has the charming Cape Cod and those precious little minis running around everyday. I just feel terrible that we haven't yet gotten to officially meet, but I do so hope that we get to soon. I just know we will be the best of friends.

I hate to bring this up on our first interaction, but I really must address the fact that your dog poops in my yard frequently. You see, we don't have any dogs, only children, and I know that my children aren't using the restroom at the top of the yard all along the street.

Unfortunately, I have stepped in this "present" before and do understand that accidents happen, but this has happened on multiple occassions. Walks are lovely and I enjoy them almost daily with my children, but I don't allow them to use the potty on your lawn and then just walk away.

I will be happy to provide bags and paper towels to assist in clean up if that is the issue. I feel that as common courtesy, it is more than appropriate for me to ask that you clean up any gifts that your dog might drop while walking by my yard.

I do so appreciate your attention to this matter and I can't wait to mingle at the next block party.

Kindly,

Mrs. Molly Lou

______________________________________________

PS-I love, love, loved Grey's Anatomy last night. Have a great weekend.

Haphazard Thursday~Let's Hear it for the Girls

Now that you have that song in your head and will be humming it all day long, let's chat about the girls. I am a member of MOPS and this week at our meeting, we talked about breast cancer and had someone speak on proper early detection, healthy habits, and prevention.

As you know October is Breast Cancer awareness month. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is a little less than 1 in 8 (12%).

The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States are for 2009:
*about 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women
*about 62,280 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is *the earliest form of breast cancer).
*about 40,170 women will die from breast cancer

Living a healthy lifestyle is a great way to decrease your risk of breast cancer. Limiting alcohol consumption, reducing the "bad" fats in our diet, and exercise are great ways to be proactive. Make sure you are obtaining regular mammograms if you're over 40 or have a higher risk for developing breast cancer and perform those monthly self exams.

As most of you know, we are donating 10% of each purchase of our Think Pink and Love and Hope notes to Spirit Jump, a wonderful non-profit organization devoted to lifting the spirits and assisting those with cancer. We are in awe of this charity and love being a part of their mission. Mini #1 is even involved.

From now until the end of the month, we are donating 100% of profifts from these two note sets to Spirit Jump in honor of all the fabulous women in our life and those that are survivors, currently fighting, or those that have lost this battle.

These notes make great gifts for the holidays or even small "thinking of you gifts." We can even personalize them free of charge. We are happy to wrap up sets and send a personalized gift message from you. Let us know if you have any questions.

Have a great day and remember to do your self exams!

{Thanks to the American Cancer Society's website for the facts and statistics}

Worthwhile Wednesday~NEW Holiday Plate Designs

Happy Wednesday all! Hope you're having a great day and week. I spent way too much time last night working on the front page of our website...only to have some issue and my computer completely shut down thus leaving me with NOTHING. I mean nothing. Trust me, I was thinking REALLY NOT NICE THINGS about the Computer Gods and Technology as a whole. If I didn't have minis that I did not want waking up, I would have been screaming and throwing some things...this internal rage just took over and I think it probably took a few years off my life.

Then, Mini #1 was in my bed and I went to crawl in to bed late and what is that I feel, that's right, wetness and it wasn't water. UGH. Changing sheets, waking up a three year old, moving a three year old when all you want to do is close your eyes is not fun. It's a new day and I am just happy, happy, happy.

I added some FABULOUS new Christmas plates to the shop yesterday. I am so in love and am still debating which set to get for the Molly Lou Home. Mini #1 has a few from last year (Mini #2 will get hers this year) and we have a personalized Santa plate, but I am looking for a set to use throughout the holiday season. We have coordinating platters and trays, coasters, and our new lucite trays with NEW designs there as well*.

Our Holiday designs are 10" circular melamine plates that are guaranteed not to break. You can enjoy years of holiday memories and fun with your plate set. These make a great gift for anyone and there is special quantity discounts when ordering sets of 8 or 10 in addtion to other discounts and codes.

We have marked our Holiday/Christmas plate designs down 15% to get you in the festive holiday mood. Just think of all the yummies you can prepare this season and how festive your table will look with a set of personalized plates.

'Tis the Season for Christmas dots, stripes, topiaries, reindeer, or Santa? Take a peek and let me know what you think.

*Pop over and see the new lucite tray designs too...the lattice sets, arbor, and gingham scroll designs are just lovely. These are such unique pieces and you can't find them in most shops.

Kind Words and Tones are Quite Nice...

Let's talk today about kind words and the tones that we use with others.

You know this weekend we went down to visit Mr. Molly Lou in his new worktown. (In case you were wondering, one hotel room, two children, one of those minis sick, rain, COLD=AWESOME.)We went down Thursday afternoon and Friday was a cold and rainy day. Mr. was working so I decided to venture over to the "mall." Not a lot of offerings, but they did have a very nice Books-A-Million. We love us some book stores. Books, toys, trains, drinks, oh my.

We approach the children's area and hear voices of children and a mother. When I turn the corner, Mini #1 is already playing trains with a little boy, let's call him Sam Alexander. (I will forever remember this child's real name after the amount of times I heard it.)

Setting the scene, Mini #1 and Sam Alexander are playing nicely at the train table, Mini #2 is crawling around attempting to eat various books and pull things off shelves. Little Sam has a sister that is running around, the other mother is in an attractive sweatpant outfit playing with some cards while sitting in an armchair, Sam's dad is lost in a computer sitting opposite her, and I am sitting on the floor trying to read Mini #2 a book and browsing the shelves myself.

"SAM ALEXANDER IF YOU DON'T STOP DOING THAT I AM GOING TO WHIP YOUR BUTT."

"DID YOU HEAR ME? I SAID STOP DOING THAT, PUT IT DOWN. I MEAN IT, I AM GOING TO COME OVER THERE AND GET YOU."

What??? I look up, sure that little Sam Alexander has found a bottle of rubbing alcohol and is about to down it. That is why she is screaming...she is worry about the safety of her child. I check Mini, he is just playing and I see no harm being down on the Island of Sodor.

"SAM ALEXANDER, YOU BETTER STOP. IF I HAVE TO TELL YOU AGAIN TO SHARE, I AM GOING TO WHIP YOUR BUTT. BE NICE WITH THOSE TRAINS."

What??? Am I going to blind? I didn't see any of that and am just about positive that both boys have their respective trains and are playing parallel on opposite ends of the table.

Sam Alexander just grunts something and goes back to playing. Dad is still lost and not offering anything...

"PUT THAT DOWN. DO YOU NEVER WANT TO HAVE ANY FRIENDS BECAUSE YOU ARE SO MEAN? I WILL COME OVER THERE."

Again, what???? Mini #1 is looking at me and I have nothing to offer. Sam Alexander is being very well behaved and pretty much tunes her out. She is also making empty threats and doesn't ever pretend to move from her chair.

This goes on for a few more minutes, she is also yelling at the sister, but I couldn't see her. They eventually leave with both children kicking and screaming. It was very enjoyable after they left.

I told Mr. Molly Lou all about this scene that night. Fast forward to Sunday, we are at the playground. Mr. Molly Lou are on opposite sides of the play ground and are each playing with a mini. All of the sudden, "STOP THAT. DO YOU HEAR ME? DON'T MAKE ME WHIP YOUR BUTT. STOP IT." (Yes, the dad was there and was mute throughout the playground experience too.)

Ahh...she has followed us. Sure enough, I spot Sam Alexander playing on another play set. I make eyes with Mr. Molly Lou as he KNOWS that is the woman from my accurate portrayal a few days earlier.

Here is what gets me, children will be children. Screaming at them doesn't work. Do you like it when people scream at you? Children and adults for that matter react based on the tones and interactions with others. I feel so bad for this child...if this is how the mother talks to him in public, I am pretty sure it isn't any different at home.

I hate when I see parents yelling and screaming at their children. Children are people too and deserve respect. You wouldn't want anyone talking to you that way, so why degrade your children ESPECIALLY when they have done nothing to deserve it.

Trust me, I could go on about this, but I will leave you with Molly Lou Tuesday Tidbit:

Remember the Golden Rule...it's golden for a reason.

Goodbye Youth...

It is a sad day in my life. This morning as I was looking in the hotel bathroom mirror at my face, picking at various nuisances on my face and studying my skin, I saw something blinding in the mirror.

Something I KNOW wasn't there before.

It was like there was a big spotlight on it. I rubbed my eyes to be sure I was seeing correctly and wasn't having a bad dream. Indeed, I was seeing correctly and talking back to me was a long...

GRAY HAIR!

It wasn't calmly laying down with the rest of my hair, it was sticking straight up, just looking to cause a scene.

I understand that this might not be life shattering and there are 591325 worse things that could have happened, but this was my FIRST gray hair.

This is the end of an era...no more pretending that I am young, cool, and hip (perhaps the minis attached to me were the first clue) because I am now on my way to middle age and gray hairs galore.

I am not necessarily against going gray...there are people that look lovely in their beautifully done silver style, but this was my first plunge in to it and that hair wasn't cooperating and making a calm entrance.

When I pulled it, it was battling me come out. It was just toying with me, showing me who was boss. I did conquer and I will continue to.

(I know all about the pick one, two more grow in its place bit and I don't care...I am pulling all day long.)

Hope you had a swell weekend. Can't wait to hear about them. Have a great day.

Snapshot Saturday~A New Sam

This week's Snapshot Saturday introduces you to another Sam. It is so hard to keep up, but I think the current number is 194 Sams in our life in some way. That takes one away from the last Sam fish that we lost, but that is a story for another day.

This is Sam, our Apple Friend. For school, Mini #1 was studying the letter A and brought home an apple to decorate however he wanted. They were going to share with the class the following day. Mini #1 decided to make him a new friend. He painted Sam, then we added the eyes, nose, mouth, and it was his idea to tear the paper to make some funky looking blue hair.

Voila~Sam, the rocking Apple Friend. The second picture Mini #1 took of Sam. He is becoming quite the budding photographer and does photo shoots with many things around our house. This is yet another reason why I love digital cameras. I want to support this new love for photography, but I really don't need 7532 pictures of his stuffed toys or trains some of which are fuzzy or include his finger.

Have a great weekend!

PS~Yes, the boy has received a haircut to remove that mop from the top of his head.

I was a virgin until last week...

An

virgin that is.

(Come on, you were intrigued by the title and just had to open to read the rest?!?!?!)

I admit it, My name is Mrs. Molly Lou and I had NEVER been to an Ikea until last Saturday. I probably would have never admitted this because I was holding on to every little bit of coolness that I could grasp. Of course, I should have been to an Ikea. Many times at that. You see there has never been an Ikea near me. Of all the places we have lived, you would think that one would have been more convenient. There was one close to us in Toronto, but I was about to BUST with Mini #1 and didn't want to go in to labor while waddling around Ikea.

I have dreamed of Ikea. I have heard others talk about the phenomenon that is Ikea. I had heard all about the deals, the craziness, the quantities, the showcases and room layouts, the colors, the food court, oh my. I have seen some treasures that others have found and longed to join the group with stories of Ikea.

We were in Atlanta last weekend for the wedding and I pretty much had all day to kill. Mr. Molly Lou was with the groom fulfilling his best man duties and I had NO CHILDREN. Talk about a treat. I went and did some other things, shopped a little, enjoyed some "me" time and then remembered we had passed an Ikea coming in to town. I had talked with a few other people about this before. I had about an hour before I needed to get back to get ready...Ikea here I come!

First of all...Holy Smokes that place is huge. You can seriously be lost in there for days. I was in sensory overload the entire time and couldn't quite grasp all that there was to see, feel, touch, pick up, and purchase. I am not claustrophobic, but when it was about time for me to leave, I couldn't find the way to the exit and had a near panic attack.

I was walking in circles, starting to hyperventilate, and talking to myself:

"Rugs, I passed rugs three minutes ago.

Bath fixtures, I passed those right before the rugs.

Frames, I have seen these at least three times.

Kitchen gadgets, I passed those before the frames, but after the rugs the first time.

Rugs, how in the hay did I get back to rugs. I was here just after the frames. I took a right the first time and ended up in the bath fixtures. If I go to the green area one more time. Great...I'm going to miss the wedding.

Stop and breathe...Just follow the signs very closely. You're smarter than this, much smarter."

As I was walking to the checkout, I saw entire areas of things I had not even glanced at.

I did get just a few things and could have purchased more. I was impressed by some things, but also felt let down by others. I didn't find any .99 throw pillows, 3.00 rugs, or .49 useless, but stylish home gadgets. I think since I had waited so long for this experience that it just didn't live up to the hype.

Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to go back with my BFF to share in the madness. Ikea really is almost indescribable. Before my next visit, I am going to get a gameplan and divide and conquer.

Happy weekend! Can't wait to hear about them on Monday.

Haphazard Thursday

Good morning all! Not feeling so h0t today...it has been building all week, but finally has settled in like in those disgusting Mucinex commercials. Ugh...

1-I have started work on my Ark. Goodness me it has been raining like crazy here for days. I have been making a list of all the things that I need to bring with me on my ark and the color scheme I'm going to go with. Since this will be my escape, I am thinking of going with a bolder color scheme on the ark...kelly green galore! We are going a little stir crazy here in this rain and are running out of art projects to do. I was going to take the minis to this indoor play center yesterday. It's a lot of fun, but the last time I was there, there were all kinds of snotty kids there and I can only imagine that it is worse now that the actual flu and other cold-like viruses are going around.

2-Head over to my friend Holly's blog at Pink Is My Signature Color! She is a lovely person and is celebrating her 100th post with a giveaway! She is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Molly Lou Gifts! Isn't that great? You can get started on your holiday shopping a little early and perhaps pick up something for yourself too. Head over there to enter and congratulate her on her blog milestone.

3-Goodwill Grace is Back! After a lapse in posts, they are back in full swing. There was a lessons in lyrics post yesterday and today's post is about reading. There are some new things headed GWG's way including a new writer. If you have any suggestions for GWG we would love to hear them. There are so many; they can be fun, funny, inspirational, thoughtful, etc. Go check it out and be sure to tell a friend.

4-Free Return Address on all of our Embossed Graphics stationery from our shop. This is a great special and would make a perfect gift for the holidays. The Trio Monogram Stationery Ensemble is one of my favorite sets that we have. It features 150 cards and envelopes: 50 large cards, 50 medium cards, and 50 gift enclosure cards. You get your choice of 12 different thermography (raised) ink color choices. The return address addition is normally $32.00 for this set, but you get it FREE until October 31.

5-My girl Whitney from That Girl and Her Pug is having a favorite things giveaway in honor of her birthday in a mere 13 days. I have read her blog for a while and she has some good favorite things. Head over to her blog for some early birthday wishes and entries in to her contest (or don't because I really want to win). Even if you don't enter to help my chances of winning, you really should read her blog. She is fantastic: funny, real, wise, and always entertaining.

6-The minis and I are headed down to see the Mr. this weekend. I was trying to explain to Mini #1 about our trip and where Dad is staying during the week. This child loves a hotel, so he is excited. Try explaining about NUCLEAR POWER to a three year old. I was explaining the power plant, what power/electricity are, etc. He was pointing out things that need electricity, he was building a power plant with his legos to take to show his daddy. This morning over breakfast, he says "Mom, are the power plants that Daddy is building like our plants outside?" Funny, interesting, and still some work to do on the explanation.

Oh look, here I went again mixing business and personal. Ahhh, I really should pull that email out again and read it as I clearly didn't follow her lovely and helpful advice! (Thanks to all of you who made me laugh and feel better about it...the minis thank you too as they enjoy being in the spotlight sometimes.) Have a great day!!

Worthwhile Wednesday~FREE...

Welcome to Worthwhile Wednesday! It's that time of the week where you indulge me as I highlight various items from our shop. Yesterday I received an email from a reader that pointed out that I shouldn't mix business and personal and how disgraceful it was that I mixed the two. I was compared to a desperate housewife and some other loveliness that everyone longs to hear. With that thought, I am all business today.

From now until October 31, we are offering FREE Return Address on all Embossed Graphics Stationery at Molly Lou Gifts. Stationery sets are included as well. This is a savings between $22.00-$32.00. The charges for this addition have been removed.

Think towards holiday gifts or if you have any engagement, showers, or weddings, giving a personalized stationery set with the couple's new name or monogram and return address with their new home address is perfect.

Know a recent graduate, someone who has taken on a new role or career, someone who started their own business? Personalized stationery is always needed and perfect to keep on hand to write thank you notes, business notes, etc. Need a housewarming gift? Give a stationery set with the new address~with the free RETURN ADDRESS offer, it is like getting the set 50% off.

We have added some new stationery additions from Embossed Graphics to our site that we just love. Some sets include choice of paper color (white, ivory, pink, or blue) and over 10 thermography/lithography ink color options. We also offer some great embossed products as well. I just love Embossed Graphics and it was this company that was the first to be at Molly Lou Gifts.

All of these stationery products come wrapped in an elegant box with coordinating grosgain ribbon. We are also happy to send a personalized handwritten gift note if you would like to send a gift directly to your recipient.

You only have until October 31! Hop over to our site to see all we have to offer. Let us know what you like. Have a great day!

Splish Splash...

"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."

Yesterday it poured all day. ALL. DAY. Mini #1 asked yesterday morning if he could go and spash in a big puddle on our front sidewalk. He still had his pajamas on, but quickly rocked the Lightning McQueen rainboots.

He went outside and had a ball. It was so fun!I was such a Negative Nancy yesterday and this little bit of heaven with the boy made me realize ALL that I have to be thankful for and sometimes all you need is a little puddle splashing!

(sorry for the picture quality...holding mini #2 and it was raining even though you can't tell from the picture.)______________________________________

Goodwill Grace will be back tomorrow with all new posts and will continue daily as before. Be sure to check it out.

Head over to visit Holly at Pink is My Signature Color. She is celebrating her 100th post (yay!) and is having a giveaway. The prize??? It's a Molly Lou Gifts $50 gift certificate which I know makes you excited. So get skipping and enter!

Recipe for...

Let's try a creative recipe this rainy, chilly Monday morning...

Start with one sick mini.

Add being awake since 3:30 am to get husband ready to leave for his new away from home during the week job.

Add in-laws that have been here for 10 days, but leaving today.

Add one home that is dirty. Between being away from home for a wedding all weekend and having minis stay home and rule the roost.

Throw in a splash of pool problems. There have only been 35762 since we moved in and this one needs the finish touches to hopefully fix this issue today. in. the. rain.

Mix in the computer issues that appear to be happening. Email doesn't feel the need to work and the website is down. Or at least parts of it-which I'm sure will make it easier to fix.

Don't forget the heaping spoonful of laundry. (I swear it is multiplying-it doesn't help that my father-in-law uses about 3 towels a day. )

Leave out the dose of milk since we are out of both kinds of milk and practically anything healthy and unprocessed.

Add one exhausted woman.

Stir all those together, pop in the oven, and you get my life today.

Have a great day.

Haphazard Thursday~HaHaHalloween Funnies

I told you the other day that Mini #1 is entering the joke phase. I also get a good little giggle out of silly jokes and we all need to giggle. I'm still smiling over the pirate joke from the other day!

Here are a few Halloween themed jokes I stumbled upon to get your Thursday going...

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?

Frostbite

What does a vampire never order at a restaurant?

A stake sandwich

What do you get when you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its radius?

Pumpkin pi

What is a Mummy's favorite type of music?

Wrap!

What do you call a witch who lives at the beach?

A sand-witch.

Why didn't the skeleton dance at the party?

He had no body to dance with.

What happens when a ghost gets lost in the fog?

He is mist.

Why did the Vampire read the Wall Street Journal?

He heard it had great circulation.

What is a vampires favorite holiday?

Fangsgiving

What kind of makeup do ghosts wear?

Mas-scare-a.

What do you call two spiders that just got married?

Newlywebbed

Where do most goblins live?

in North and South Scarolina.

What do the skeletons say be for eating?

Bone appetit

Silly I know, but I know you laughed at a few of these and I bet you might even tell one to someone today! Have any good jokes to share? Happy Thursday...have a great day!

PS-Don't forget to enter our new ribbon topiary giveaway! Haven't seen them yet? Go now...

Worthwhile Wednesday~Mad about Topiaries

Happy Wednesday! Hope you're having a great week. Things are so busy and fall is here...the holidays will be here before we know it. Make sure you visit our Halloween/Fall 2009 and Holiday 2009 pages to see some new seasonal products we have added to our shop. There are a few new photo card designs up too!

What? What are these fabulous creations you ask?

We are excited to welcome a new line of products and fabulous designer to the Molly Lou Gifts family. These are unique, custom, handmade ribbon topiaries created by Southern Living: Preppy Style Designs. Let me tell you, the designer behind these topiaries is truly one of a kind. Jennifer is fun, funny, smart, creative, a great mommy, and a wonderful friend. I am so glad that I have met her in Blogland and look forward to working with her.

These topiaries come in three themes: Fall, Christmas/Holiday, and Preppy. They are completely handmade and no two are exactly alike. The one featured to the left is the Low Ball topiary and is a little different than the others.

These festive themed topiaries measure about 18" tall (Low Ball 12") just the right amount of style and preppy. These would look perfect on buffets, table centerpieces, mantles, side/console tables, or end tables and would make a fabulous and unique gift for anyone.

Love them, but prefer a smaller size? Try our Mini topiaries. These are darling and would make great teacher gifts or hostess gifts for the parties of the seasons.

These topiaries would also make unique and fun shower gifts for the bride-to-be or engaged couple.

Buy a pair of topiaries and save 10%!

To welcome this new designer to our shop, we are giving away a pair of mini topiaries. Keep them for yourself or give as a gift. Giveaway ends on October 13, 2009 and the winner will be announed on Wednesday. You will win your choice of themes: fall, Christmas, or preppy topiaries. To enter:

1-Check out the five new topiary designs in our shop and let us know which is your favorite and where you would put your new custom piece.

2-Become a follower of this blog or let us know you are.

3-Twitter and/or blog about this giveaway and our new addition of products. (Receive an entry for each)

4-Order a topiary or two from our shop and receive 10 entries.

Funnies and Winner

Why couldn't the pirates go to the movies?

Because it was rated RRRRRRRRRR!

Why do elephants paint their toe nails red?
To hide in cherry trees.
Ever seen an elephant in a cherry tree?
See how good they hide! :)

Thanks to all who entered our 200th Post Giveaway fun! I loved reading some of your funny little things that have happened, stories, videos or other funnies you felt like sharing.

After compiling all the entries, multiple entries, extra entries, referral entries, random.org chose our winner of the Molly Lou Gifts gift set! The winner is

KLaw

Congratulations! KLaw ate vaseline as a child...interesting. :) She found us from the adorable Katie from The Perks. Katie, a little treat will find its way to your mailbox too! Thanks for helping spread the word. KLaw, email us and we will get your prize on its way to you.

Have a great day! Be sure to make your way over tomorrow...we might just have another giveaway and some new things to show off.

Monday Musings

Don't you just want a big smooch and hug from this beauty???Good morning all! I had two posts ready to post this weekend as I knew I would be busy with the big birthday bash and all the family in town. Blogger failed me and didn't feel the need to cooperate. Lovely, sorry about that. I am backpedalling today and have so much to do.

First of all...HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (a day late) to Mr. Molly Lou. Yesterday marked the anniversary of his birth and I apologize that my tribute to my dear husband didn't run. He left this morning to start his new job. It will be quite the adjustment for all of us and the minis are already so excited for Thursday.

Second, the birthday bash was a huge hit. Mini #2 had a week of celebration in honor of her first birthday. The pink and green whale theme was a smash. (Look at the cake...get it? :)) I'll post more pictures later.

The Molly Lou in-laws are here all week.

Today is the last day to enter our 200th Post Giveaway Fun. Winner will be announced tomorrow. Click the link at the top. Get entering and tell a friend!

Figure It Out Friday~Riddle Me This definitely brought out some mixed reviews. Some love the challenge while others didn't so much prefer the logic offerings. Thanks for the funny comments and emails though. The Answers are:

1-Shubert's Unfinished Symphony

2-Charlie stole the cake

3-Name Age Scrabble Chess

James 15 1 3

Kevin 16 4 1

Liam 18 2 2

Mark 19 3 4

The QUEEN of FIOF is Joby and the PRINCESS is Celeste E. Email us for your royal winnings.

Have a great day! Hopefully things will be getting back to normal.

Figure It Out Friday~Riddle Me This...

It's back folks...that day of the week that we have all come to love-FIGURE IT OUT FRIDAY!!!

But this week, we have put a crazy spin on things! Some people don't love television or movies, some actually enjoy using their brain and figuring out little riddles or brainteasers. We want to appeal to EVERYONE over here at Molly Lou Gifts, so this week we bring you "Riddle Me This."

Take a "stab" at the three riddles and Email me your answers. The QUEEN is randomly chosen from the ones that answer all three correctly.

Don't know all the answers? The PRINCESS is randomly chosen from all participants. Leave us a witty comment or answer what you do know and you might just win!

There will be a QUEEN and PRINCESS crowned this week. You have until TOMORROW night at 11:59 pm to send in your submissions to be a part of the royal court. Winners will be chosen on Sunday. Good luck! Ready, Set, GO!!!

Riddle A: What is represented by this "BrainBat"?

Schubert's Symphon

Riddle B: During a recent police investigation, Chief Inspector Stone was interviewing five local villains to try and identify who stole Mrs Archer's cake from the mid-summers fayre. Below is a summary of their statements:
Arnold: it wasn't Edward
it was Brian

Brian: it wasn't Charlie
it wasn't Edward

Charlie: it was Edward
it wasn't Arnold

Derek: it was Charlie
it was Brian

Edward: it was Derek
it wasn't Arnold

It was well known that each suspect told exactly one lie. Can you determine who stole the cake?

Riddle C: At the local games evening, four lads were competing in the Scrabble and chess competitions. Liam beat Mark in chess, James came third and the 16 year old won. Liam came second in Scrabble, the 15 year old won, James beat the 18 year old and the 19 year old came third. Kevin is 3 years younger than Mark. The person who came last in chess, came third in Scrabble and only one lad got the same position in both games.

Can you determine the ages of the lads and the positions in the two games?

Have a great weekend! Mini #2's big first birthday bash is tomorrow~sure to be a wild time!

Haphazard Thursday~It's Official

Well, folks there are some things that have become official in the past few days .

1-We have OFFICIALLY entered the "joke stage" with Mini #1. You know that stage that all children go through, sometimes for YEARS where they tell you ridiculously silly (we don't use the word stupid in the ML house) jokes, you laugh, and the cycles goes on and on. The same joke is told, but they change the "punch line" every 4.7 seconds.

Yes, Mini #1 is there. He did have one good one* and that got the ball rolling. He tells jokes constantly and always pulls out all the stops when it comes to bed time, cleaning up, eating, etc.

Please say a little prayer for me that I make it out of this stage and I would like to apologize to all of my family for putting up with me during this lovely childhood stage.

2-I have also OFFICIALLY lost my mind. Over the past few days, I have spent more time arguing with a three year old over the silliest things. I am the parent, but by golly I have found myself arguing and acting just like a three year old. There appears to be more than one incident, but I will just share one that happened last night:

(Before scene starts, it is storytime before bed. Mini #1 is taking his sweet time picking out a book, so Mini #2 and I begin reading something that I picked for her.)

Mini #1: "Hey, that's my book. Don't read that to Mini #2."
Me: "It's our book. Would you like to read too?"
Mini #1: "Give it back. DON'T YOU READ IT!!" (cue whining voice)
Me: "This book belongs to our family. Come read with us."
Mini #1: " I said it is MY BOOK. STOP THAT. GIVE IT BACK." (cue Mini#1 "mad" voice and add a slight foot stomp)
Me: " Actually, this is my book. It came from when Mommy was a teacher and was in my classroom. I guess it is my book and Mini #2 and I are reading it together. Go away. You can't hear."
Mini #1: "It is my book. She doesn't like it."
Me: "She does like it. We ar enjoying it. Look Mini #2, a boat."
Mini #1: "No boat. She doesn't want to read it. Put it down."
Me: (Lightbulb moment-"What in the hay are you doing arguing with him?" Get it together.) "This book belongs to our family. We all can read it. Please come and listen with us. You like this story. Come on."
Mini #1: "Ok. Please start over."
(Sits down and breask to a whisper) "It's my book."

And cut...

We also may or may not have had an argument about this morning being Halloween.

*Mini #1's GOOD joke that he must have heard at school:

"Why did the duck cross the playground?"

"To get to the other SLIDE!"

Come on, funny for a three year old! (Not so funny when he told it 291835 times with a different ending.