Affordable, super easy to DIY, and it looks super cool!  This cool project cost about 3.50 per gift. 

 

What you need:
Newspaper End Roll ($2 from local newpaper)
acrylic paints (.50 each on sale)
paint brushes (.25 each)


Tie it all together and you have a really cool gift that teachers will use all year and love it!
My kids are so excited to take this to their teachers for Christmas!

The Goose is Getting Fat: PERFECT GIFTS

 Its time to start thinking about what you're going to get the special people in your life for Christmas! I will keep posting cool gift ideas on this post so keep an eye out for an idea for someone you get to remember this year!


This blanket is so amazing!  I bought 2 different blankets but wasn't sure which one would be the one that I would want to snuggle up with the most.  But very quickly I figured out that this blanket is absolutely amazing!  Its the perfect size, perfect weight, and so soft I just cant get enough of it!  It comes in many different colors (I bought all of the colors and giving them to different people) and is available here.

There are so many laptop Desks on the market but this one stole my heart!  Its super duper cozy on my lap and I love how its not industrial and metal looking.  Its really lovely.... TOM BAKER

more gift ideas to come....

Design ideas from the beach house

The kids & I were invited to go to Santa Monica with 5 other families since the kids had Fri & Mon off of school for Fall Break.  We stayed at our friends beautiful beach house.  Even tho the weather wasn't clear & sunny we found ourselves at the beach everyday.  Some families thought they might run over to Disneyland and didn't there is something about hanging out at the beach that never gets old.  

This home has a basement with 2 bedrooms, laundry room and a living room.  I loved the way the small living space was designed so I want to share it with you. Its so usable and has a "big" feel even tho it's a small space.  I love it.

Tomato or Tomotto? haha

For those tomato lovers out there, you can impress yourself and your guests with either of these very easy and super yummy Caprice Salads

Winter Caprese Salad: (above)

1 bunch of baby Roma tomatoes still on the vine
Pesto (homemade or store bought)
8 ou. Burrato cheese ( I found a great one from Bristol Farms)
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. (may skip cooking and serve cold)
Place the tomatoes in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the olive oil and kosher salt. Bake for 2 hours. The cheese came in a plastic tub. I took it out and cut it in half, saving half for later. Placing the cheese on a dish I spread a layer of pesto on it. I gently reheated the tomatoes and placed them on top of the pesto. I spread a few toasted pine nuts on the plate along with a few baby tomatoes and a sprig of basil.

My Cold Caprese Salad: Prep & serve in 15 minutes (above)

2-3 Large tomatoes cut into bite size pieces
1 Clove fresh garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh basil leaves
1 pkg soft mozzorella cheese
Pesto
Rub fresh garlic clove on bottom of serving platter & sprinkle a little kosher salt. Spread out tomatoes any way you want. Sprinkle tomatoes with Balsamic vinegar. Set Basil, cheese, and pesto on/and around tomatoes as desired.  Olives may be used.  Serve chilled.

Sunshine & Smiles

I came home to a huge pot of sunshine & smiles.  My mom found this beautiful ginormous pot of bright yellow Mums that keep bringing us smiles over and over.  I love it because its an actual plant and not a bouquet that will die off in a few days. If there is someone in your life (maybe its you) that needs to be remembered or might need some SUNSHINE & SMILES today this pot of flowers is only $10.00 at  Costco and comes in many different colors.

You are what you think!!!

It seems that there is always one thing that consumes most of my thoughts. It changes & evolves with time, but there is always one thing that is on my mind and motivates me to do what I do everyday. It tells me a lot about myself. No one, except for me, really knows what that one thing is that I am subconsciously & consciously thinking about.

I am a believer in the law of attraction and being positive. I think big and create big in my head daily. Some people have inspiration early in the morning, or while they are driving. I have mine while I am running & working out. As I am running and I have my favorite tunes rolling through my head, I believe I can do anything (to the beat of the song hahaha!) and I start creating these ideas that are so fun to think about. I keep a small notepad near so I can jot down ideas as they come to me. Its wise to figure out what time(s) you are the most inspired and then you can accelerate your inspiration by keeping notes or an "inspiration journal".

What really consumes your thoughts everyday? is it food, recreational activities, money, sports, your relationship with a loved one...? Whatever it might be, it is shaping your future! (and those around you). This is my 3 day challenge that can change your life like it has mine: choose something positive & new that you can think about that will improve your life. Write it down. keep it where you will see it multiple times throughout the day. keep it in the back of your head at all times. (Its ok to do it for longer than 3 days)

"The mind is everything; what you think, you become"

- Buddha

I couldn't sleep...

I was laying in bed last week feeling like an insomniac. I was so tired because I had already stayed up way too late (3am - call me crazy I KNOW!). After 30 minutes of counting sheep, I had a thought...a light bulb moment that I couldn't push out of my head. I was so tired and I really really didn't want to get out of bed but I threw the covers over and headed up stairs to the computer. 30 minutes later ONE MILLION AMAZING WOMEN was created.

I am so excited to see what the women in the world create with me. I cant wait to find the most amazing women in the world that are hidden behind the walls of their homes, their desks at work, piles of laundry & housework, or whatever it is that keeps us busy.

I am ONE in A MILLION.... So are you...