hedgehog 'n hairbows Winner!!

The winner of the hedgehogs 'n hairbows is #10 - Megan@Mommy Minded. Congratulations Megan! Please respond to my email within 48 hours to claim your prize! Huge thanks to everyone for entering!

You can still be a winner though b/c Kisten is offering all new customers of hedgehogs 'n hairbows a free clippie with a Dixie headband purchase. Simply put "Free clippie" in the instruction box during Paypal checkout to receive your free clippie.
New fans of hedgehogs 'n hairbows on Facebook will receive free shipping on their first order. Please mention that you are a "new fan on Facebook" in the instruction box while checking out with Paypal and Kisten will refund your shipping.

Have a great day!

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Self

What do you see when you look in the mirror? For me today is one of those days that I am really happy but then I took this picture and looked at it closely on my screen and it made me moody - thus the black and white :)



My girls are the reason for my smile today. It is my pretend birthday celebration - yay! The picnic in the middle of our living room is set and now I must go party!

There are beautiful people this week at The Paper Mama's place!

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Did I just hear a click?

You think that she is used to a camera being around? I was trying to get a shot of myself and she came running! Cheeseball.

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Piper's 1st Day of Kindergarten

It was tough I won't lie. She cried Wednesday night - hard. In turn I cried after she went to bed - hard. I blame it on being tired and nervous, both of us. Thursday morning she woke right up as excited as she could be. We decided to have Matt bring her to help her carry all of the school supplies in. I chose not to go b/c it would not have been good for either of us. Her and I chatted during breakfast about how great her day would be and then I gave her another little pep talk before she got in the truck. I couldn't hold my tears back any longer as I saw her drive away. My baby is growing up.

Matt called me to tell me that she barely looked back. Piper knew her teacher beforehand b/c she did Piper's testing this summer. That totally made her feel comfortable.



While he was talking with her teacher she ran in the classroom and started playing. He had to go in to say goodbye to her b/c she wasn't paying attention to him anymore.



The girls and I picked her up today and the first thing she said when she was in the car was "Mama, it was FUN!" and the second thing was "Please don't freeze my Capri Sun again b/c it was still hard at lunch". I had heard to freeze them and then use them as an ice pack but I guess 4+ hours isn't enough to thaw - lesson learned. She continued to chat about all the fun that she had on our ride home. I did get a recorded call & email telling me that her school was on lockdown for 16 minutes due to a domestic disturbance. That made me sort of ill b/c I had no idea and it was 4 hours later when I was being notified. Sure it wasn't a really big deal but it was to me.Tuesday is her first day with the whole class and she will start riding the bus as well. Today wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be but that could be b/c I still had Violet and Ruby to play with. In a few weeks Violet will go off to preschool for the first time. What a quiet house I will have. Maybe it will get cleaned lol :)

Good luck to all the other first time mamas and kiddos this year and I hope that all the pros that have been in school before have a great year!

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Team Up Thursday - Old

When I saw this challenge I knew it was going to be tough. In fact I waited until Wednesday to do my shot b/c I couldn't decide. My girlfriend suggested this old barn, see I never even thought of this. It is a pretty famous barn though. Do you know where you have seen it before?

Just look at how cute Snickers is. Sweet old boy. Angie's dog reminds me of our Mabel with the gray snout I only hope she is as spunky as him in another 3 years when she is 13.

Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.



If you are still reading and/or interested the barn is from the movie Days of Thunder and is still standing here in the town that I live. I am not sure how much longer b/c it is getting pretty old. There is poison ivy around it and I only can imagine the snakes that call it home so I just took it from far away leaving my kids in the safety of our van. Seniors take pictures there but I think I am scared to do that with my curious brood. Maybe when they're older if another bank or auto store hasn't torn it down to build on by then :)

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WW - Mad Skillz

Did you hear that?
No? I am surprised b/c she is really good at it.
That REALLY loud noise was Piper burping. What else can she do you ask?

How can I even be worried that she isn't going to be ok at school on Thursday with all the cool things that she can bring to her fellow kindergartners.

Still I am.

Our dock isn't quite done b/c we had some rain delays. Figures right? No worries b/c part 2 will just be next week. Here is the big reveal from my home town though. Seems Extreme Home Makeovers can work in the rain. Just sayin.



More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and for the more chatty ones like myself there is Wordful Wednesday.


and also

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The Sound of Silence

Quiet. I say I long for it but I am not sure that is the truth. It is nice to catch your breath sometimes throughout the day but the chaos is fun too. While Ruby was sleeping I had the girls grab a book and read. I was pretending to take a picture of Mabel. I turned the camera to them and Violet looked up. Darn it. I went back to Mabel again but Violet was suspicious. The moment that I snapped this Piper looked up. Violet was asking "Are you taking a picture?" Makes me sad that next week at this time it won't be like this. Everything is changing. They are still so young that they don't even understand. I am going to miss Piper when she is in school so much. My heart is so heavy.

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A Crown Fit For Violet

I have meant to make the girls a crown of flowers so many times I can't count but for whatever reason haven't this year. Our buds are all just about spent. It is hard to survive months of intense heat and they are slowly browning or losing petals. This week while weeding I managed to salvage a few and this was the result.

That black eye is still lingering. I thought about cloning it out but come on then it wouldn't be Violet right? For something new I tried shooting in our garage and am very happy with how this shot turned out.

There's a bouquet at The Paper Mama!


Don't forget, if you haven't entered the hedgehogs 'n hairbows giveaway yet it ends 8/30!

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Embracing my inner Julia

Did you see the movie? You mean you didn't go to Amazon a few weeks later (after unsuccessfully looking at the local thrift stores) and buy Julia Child's cookbook? Am I a total lame girl b/c I did? I love to cook but I am just a humble mama cook. Our meals are very family friendly but I dream of cooking delicious meals that people (other than my family) say they love. I have had that cookbook now since Christmas and nothing ever was done with it besides me glancing at it a few times. Last week out of sheer boredom I decided to look at it again.

You know in the movie where Julie and her guy eat an artichoke w/hollandaise? I have never ate an artichoke like that. Really. I have also never attempted to make hollandaise. Really. Tuesday night I decided to channel Julia Child and try making both. Artichokes w/hollandaise sauce. When I cut out the heart to put the hollandaise inside it sort of started to leak. Not immediately but by the time I got around to remembering to take a picture it was leaking. We ate every drop though b/c that sauce came out SO GOOD - toot toot!

I also steamed crab, some broccoli (b/c I wasn't sure my girls would eat the artichokes) and grilled a couple of filets. OMGosh. Yum. A big thank you to Piper for setting the table (minus knives). How else would we have got to dine on our 30 year old CorningWare? Matt and I used those for so many years when I took this picture I didn't even realize that they weren't our normal plates :) I still love someone else to make me a steak but this isn't so bad either.

Then Wednesday it was back to normal - chicken. Come on cooking like Julia Child takes time and I have a baby hanging on my leg during most of my supper preparation. I generally drink beer in bottles and don't keep cans in the house so there was a minor substitution in my recipe. Squirt Butt Chicken. Sounds gross huh? It was fabulous! We ate the whole thing!

I am sure that Julia Child never served Squirt Butt Chicken. I want to try another recipe in her book and I am thinking maybe once ever few weeks. Right. Next year at this time I will be writing a post about how "after a year I decided to open up Julia Child's cookbook" LOL :)

If you haven't enter the giveaway why not? There is a beautiful headband, clippie, and bow of your choice up for grabs! Good Luck!

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Team Up Thursday - Big

I am a transplant to the south. I am told I have an accent and sometimes say strange words. I have adapted well though and words or phrases that are very normal in central Wisconsin aren't really in my vocabulary anymore. Kind of a shame b/c I think a word like "bubbler" is WAY better than water fountain any day of the week. So as they laugh at me I sort of smile back sometimes too. Every once in a while a word tickles me. Back when I was working outside of the house my boss used to refer to long grass as "big grass". When I saw this challenge it was what I immediately thought of. My husband has been swamped at work and hasn't got home until even later than normal. This shot is off the play area that is supposed to be covered in mulch. Hmmm, it is hidden by the forest right now. Now that is some BIG grass! Angie sent me a shot of their beautiful horse. Look at how big it is! Wow. My girls would probably be shy of that one.

Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.



Hey mamas of girls - don't forget to enter the giveaway for some custom hairbands and bows. Perfect for back to school!

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WW - Extreme Dock Makeover Part 1

My hometown of Neenah, WI is buzzing this week. They found out on Saturday morning that Exteme Home Makeovers was coming to town. Not only was it coming to town but it was coming to MY OLD STREET!! I am almost as excited as the residents and have been watching everyones updates on Facebook daily. Fun stuff. In honor of this I am going to have my own edition but closer to home, my backyard. Not as dramatic but we needed to do it. I am afraid to say that we were "that" house for over a year now. It isn't our fault totally though, Mother Nature had a little bit to do with the demise.

Before demolition




The demolition has begun. Yay!!




Check back next Wednesday for the big reveal! Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway I am hosting for a custom headband, clippie, and bow.

More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and for the more chatty ones like myself there is Wordful Wednesday.


and also

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Orange

I get a lot of wear out of something when I buy it b/c it has 3 girls who each enjoy dressing up. This was one of my all time favorite outfits that I bought for Piper years back and look at who is thinking she is all that wearing it now :) This baby is just like her big sisters. She goes into THEIR drawers and puts on THEIR clothes b/c she can't get to hers in our room. I can't tell you how many times she has disappeared only to reemerge wearing one of Piper or Violet's swimsuits, dresses, or better yet panties.

This little challenge came into my mind when she was running around trying to do somersaults and her little orange diaper was showing. It was like a lightbulb went off :) She ended up crying b/c she hurt herself somehow but when I started joking with her got a big smile on her face. You can still see a tear though - awww.

You know what is kind of funny? I saw a 50 something year old wearing pants that matched perfectly with the little piece of fabric on her shirt. Just like this. Please say something if you see me do that - EVAH!

More b/c Ruby was WIDE open when I took these - and then she crashed.


More Orange at The Paper Mama!

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I heart faces - Got To Wear Shades

It is Week 33 over at iheartfaces and I decided to try and participate this week b/c Piper got a cool new pair of sunglasses yesterday as a special treat. They are funky cat eye glasses and she loves them. She saw them waaay in the back - good eyes. Such a sense of style too :) Well Piper didn't want me to take pictures of her today (hmm) but Violet did so I threw the shades on her instead. These are truly my kids b/c Piper came over by Violet while I was taking her picture and stuck out her tongue. Seriously. When I saw her do it I tried to snap quick. Violet thought it was funny. Piper knew I would think it was funny. There were only a couple to choose from and when I pulled up the photos Piper was pretty dark so I brightened her up (badly). This photo still makes me smile.

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hedgehog 'n hairbows Giveaway!!

As a mama to 3 girls I am constantly on the lookout for super cute, affordable, yet well made accessories. I mean let's face it our oldest is only 5 and she is pretty tough on delicate items. The others love their pretties the same as their big sister but they are still young and even harder on their things. My girlfriend felt the same way and I was thrilled to hear last year that she decided to start her own business.

Kisten says:
I started hedgehogs 'n hairbows because I was not able to find quality hair bows at reasonable prices. I intended to make them for my daughter and friends, but when I kept getting asked where I found the hair bows, hedgehogs 'n hairbows was born!

Other accessories have been added as the requests were made, so now the product line includes the original neva bow, vivi bows, corkers, clippies, loopys, dixie headbands and noodle clippies.
All of the bows are hand sewn using quality ribbon and embellishments.

Here are just a few examples of her products that we already own. Our list will grow even larger with school starting and Piper needing to look uber cute every day :)

The Corker - this is one FABULOUS bow


Our little Ruby even wants in on the action with the Neva bow


This is the Dixie Headband and Clippie set. Complements of the Easter Bunny lol :)


Buy it!! New customers of hedgehogs 'n hairbows will receive a free clippie with a Dixie headband purchase. Simply put "Free clippie" in the instruction box during Paypal checkout to receive your free clippie.
New fans of hedgehogs 'n hairbows on Facebook will receive free shipping on their first order. Please mention that you are a "new fan on Facebook" in the instruction box while checking out with Paypal and Kisten will refund your shipping.

Win it!! One lucky reader will win a Dixie headband, clippie, AND bow of your choice just in time for school!

Mandatory Entry: Go visit hedgehogs 'n hairbows and look around then come back here and leave a comment letting me know what you would choose if you won. Please include your email address so I can contact you if you win.

Want additional entries? Please leave a separate comment for each of the following as well as your email address so that I can contact the winner.

~Follow my blog publicly - 1 extra entry
~'Like' hedgehogs 'n hairbows on Facebook and leave me your name letting me know you did. - 1 extra entry
~Tweet about this giveaway and leave me a link - 1 extra entry
~Make a purchase from hedgehogs 'n hairbows and leave a comment letting me know what you got. - 5 extra entries (leave a comment for each entry please)

The giveaway ends on August 30th at 11:59 pm. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email and if by that time does not a new winner will be chosen. Open to US residents only, thanks for understanding. Good Luck!

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He comes and then he goes

Home a few days and then gone a few days. It is all the girls have ever known. Heck, me too. We talk about Daddy leaving on an airplane all the time. They have never seen one up close, just in the sky. Wednesday we met him at the airport to watch him leave. They even got to even see inside the plane. They have been talking about that plane ever since.

They thought the plane was super cool. I was flippin hot!!! Sweat running down my back hot! Why did I promise them a trip to the mall afterwards? Who knew it was going to be so hot! The mall was fun but I just couldn't cool down. We rode the horses. Violet wanted the mermaid horse but when she saw Ruby and Piper next to each other thought the horse next to Ruby was pretty too.




Ruby loves them as much as her big sisters now so I have to shell out an extra $2.



We ate at Burger King. I can't remember my last time eating at Burger King. The girls loved that the nuggets came in "Princess Crown" shapes - who knew. The King wouldn't be happy I am sure. We visited the Disney Store b/c we have to look at the Tink, Princess & Stitch stuff. They were worn out. Me too. Everyone (but me lol) fell asleep on our ride home. Wouldn't auto pilot be nice some days? Finally at home I was able to shower and cool off. Did I mention it is like 100 degrees? H.O.T.!!

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Team Up Thursday - Morning

Wait. You mean you don't eat breakfast with ballet clothes on? Sheesh, I thought everyone did. When I opened up Angie's email I thought "Wow, how relaxing" and then I immediately was put back into my reality of babes needing me for milk (at that moment). Some day.

Check out more Team Up Thursdays at Melody's and Megan's.

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WW - A Pillow

If only there would have been a pillow. She thought that there was a pillow or she wouldn't have jumped over the chair.

Ice was applied and a ton of hugs and kisses were administered. A very happy girl immediately became unhappy. What happened to the pillow?



The next day she was fine. It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. She did want to look at it first thing though. Boom Baby! Bless her little clumsy heart :(

More Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom and for the more chatty ones like myself there is Wordful Wednesday.

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Crafty Tuesday - Peace ♥ Love ♥ Dye

The little girl that I babysit for brought over a tie dye kit last week and asked if we could do it. My first thought was "What?", second would have been "I will be cleaning up that dye for days", third was "Jessie, embrace your inner hippie and go for it!". So that is exactly what I did and although I only used 1 color to try out how the kids would do it went surprisingly well. I would do it again (I am a true glutton for punishment). There were a few examples of different ways to do the dying on the back of the package. I thought for sure they would pick a starburst or swirl but no they chose to just crumble the shirt and put the dye on that way. Maybe that is why I thought it went so well b/c they chose the easiest one to do :)

The shirts had to sit the rest of the day and then I had to wash them. My girls asked "Are they done yet" like 10 times. The next morning I showed them their handiwork and both Piper and Violet decided that this was something that they wanted to do again. You can never have too much tie dye can you?



The girls almost got lost in our grass it is so tall :)

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