Anyway, I thought I should let you know that I'm being fiscally responsible and wearing a dress I already own. Not that I've gone all budget-crazy on you...but mostly because I've already spent my monthly clothing allowance on new shoes for CHA. But it's always fun to window shop for formal wear, so here's five dresses I would love to consider for future events!
1.  When the Night Comes Dress ($96.99).  I love this sophisticated black lace dress. This silhouette is so Audrey Hepburn-esque and I can't imagine not being the picture of grace and class and while wearing this frock.  Oh wait, this is me we're talking about.

2.  Pisarro Nights Beaded Sheath Dress. ($148.00).  It's 180-degrees from the first dress style-wise, but I kind love this platinum sheath adorned with beads and paillettes. It's just so sparkly! And disco-ball like! Which means you'd most certainly have a ball in it, no?  Yes, I went there with the cheesy pun. It's just that kind of Friday.

3.  Rosè Bubbly Dress ($157.99).  If it's wrong to pick a dress solely for the fact that it reminds of champagne, then I don't wanna be right.

4. Halston Heritage One Shoulder Dress ($117.97).  I've never worn a one-shoulder dress but this one makes me want to!  It looks comfy while still being elegant...kind of like wearing bunny slippers with your lace negligee.

5.  In Love with Life Dress ($297.99).  I love just about anything by Corey Lynn Calter because her designs are so feminine and girly. This ivory crochet dress is perfectly pristine, but the bow adornment makes it fun and just a little bit funky.  Like a girl who sips champagne, dances under disco balls, and brings her bunny slippers in her purse.

And that wraps up another Friday...enjoy yours!

These two projects feature Double Dutch, a fun assortment of brightly hued ginghams, polka dots, zig zags, florals and more. This is my favorite new Lily Bee release and I already know it's going to be used a lot on my future pages!

And this layout features Buttercup, a delightful combination of playful patterns in yellows, grays, and aquas. I adore this color palette and know it will be versatile for many page topics!

So for today's giveaway, I'm clearing out some of my older Lily Bee papers to make room for the new! I've got a full set of 12 x 12 papers from Memorandum, Jingle, and Harvest Market to giveaway:

If you'd like to be entered to win these papers, just leave me a comment below.**  Since I'm leaving for CHA in Anaheim on Sunday, I'll keep the comments open until Saturday morning, January 28, and post the winner here shortly thereafter. And if you're going to be at CHA, too, please stop by the Lily Bee booth.  I'll be there on Sunday and Monday afternoons doing make-and-takes and would love to say hi!

Happy, happy!

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until the morning of January 28(whenever I've consumed enough coffee to function) and the winner will be randomly drawn and announced at the bottom of this post and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage. And that concludes the fine print.

The first thing you should know (and one of the main tenets of my method of housekeeping) is that if you have kids, you can make them do some of your chores. I know - cool huh?!!  As long as you tell everyone that it's "helping teach them responsibility" and "building character" it's totally acceptable. (It is not, however, acceptable to insist they become practiced somelliers and be proficient in the art of selecting, pairing and uncorking wines for your nightly meals. That, apparently, is frowned upon by CPS. Hmph.)

Anyway, around here, the kiddos pitch in.  Each of them has a certain number of chores (which, not so coincidentally, coincides with their ages) that they have to do on a daily and weekly basis. That reminds me...Hayden is 11 now!  He totally owes me a chore!  Hmmmm....

And because I'm a graphic artist and am all about the visual presentation, I've printed up these lovely checklists for them to keep track of their duties:

I can't take credit for the cute design - I downloaded the template from Gennifer's blog and customized the lists for each kiddo. But they're neat! And colorful! And contain cool retro fonts! I layer a tranparency over the list and we use dry-erase markers to check off the chores, so it can be wiped clean and re-used each week.

So yeah. Each kid has their list of chores, as well as a few optional chores that they can do to earn money over-and-above their usual allowance. Yes, I do pay them a weekly allowance (again, equal to their ages) and they use that money to purchase apps for the iPad, songs for their iPods, candy, gum, Slurpees, cigarettes (just making sure you're paying attention!) and other items I refuse to buy. They are also encouraged to save it for bigger purchases and I can avoid the infamous Toy Aisle Arguments at Target by reminding them of this concept. They are also required to donate a portion of their allowance to charity each month. And while I tried to convince them that Mommy's Wine Fund is an excellent cause, they both have opted to support the Humane Society instead.

And even though I've pawned off a few of my household chores on the young 'uns, there's still a whole lot of tasks required to keep our house from becoming featured on Hoarders. To determine these tasks, I did a walk-through on each room of the house and wrote down everything requiring regular attention. I included laundry as well, but only because my previous method of Ignore It And Eventually It Will Go Away has proven to be unsuccessful.

Once I had this Master List of Chores, (which you should totally capitalize and bold, because then it looks all official-like) I decided which ones had to be done weekly and which ones could be done every other week. And some of them (like dusting the formal dining room that we use twice a year) got deleted all together. Don't judge.

Then I made two chore lists.  Each one contains the all the weekly chores. The every-other-week chores got split up evenly between the two weeks, resulting in my final lists:

Once again...a neat, orderly list in pretty, pretty colors. Wheeee! 

Each week I alternate between the aqua and the green list, which each contain 34 tasks.  If I do approximately 6 tasks each day (which usually takes about an hour, give or take), it keeps the house perpetually clean. And I can avoid the freak-out-melt-down-say-lots-of-bad-words when unexpected guests show up and my house hasn't seen a vacuum or toilet brush in, um, 34 days? (I think I already told you - don't judge.)

So there you have it.  How to keep your house clean with six chores a day.  And if you happen to skip a day and get a bit off track, you can always employ my back-up method of housekeeping:  Drink a glass of wine and fuhgeddaboudit.

 S U P P L I E S :

This week I switched things up a bit, using a different style page protector with a 4 x 12 slot across the top and four 4 x 6 slots.  Instead of using 4 x 6 photos, though, I printed most of mine at 4 x 3, allowing me to fit two in each pocket.  They are bit wobbly right now, but I plan on adhering them to the back of the photos that will be slipped in the opposite side next week.

Like I mentioned before, one of my favorite parts of this project is revisiting my stash for forgotten supplies. I have been hoarding this striped paper from KI Memories forever (they do the BEST stripes, don't they?!!)  and decided it was high time to put this colorful pattern to use. I layered Days of the Week tags from Elle's Studio over it and topped it off with a red button.

Hayden brought home a stellar book report grade this week so I snapped a photo of it to include. I cropped and reduced it to 4 x 2 to fit in with the other photos. The pennant and wooden "A" were adhered on top.

To keep with my theme of exterior embellishments, I added a few pennants from Elle's to the pockets, stapling them with a mini attacher through the front of the pocket.

So that's week two for you! Because I didn't have a lot of free time for this week's spread, it had to be quick and easy and simple. Some weeks are just gonna be like that - providing more of an "overview" than lots of detailed info. And, of course, some weeks are going to be more complex.  I'm already looking ahead to next week, as it includes Hayden's birthday celebration and will have a lot more photos and stories to tell. Until then - happy scrapping and Project Life-ing!

1.  Crown Vintage Kimberly Pump ($79.95).  I just purchased these adorable red mary janes for my upcoming trip to CHA at the end of the month. While I know I'll be on my feet all day and require comfy shoes, I can't totally give up my heels. These are the best of both worlds!

2.  Athleta Long Sleeve Twist Top ($69.99). This athletic top was one of my Christmas gifts and the crimson color is a nice, bright addition to my mostly-black running wardrobe.  Not only do I love it for winter running (the wicking fabric is fab and the extra-long torso stays tucked in and keeps my muffin top warm!) but I've also paired it with jeans for a casual weekend look (that I wear, of course, while eating muffins.)

3.  Jane Iredale PureGloss in Cherry Sparkle ($20).  As much as I'd love to be one of those girls that can pull off a perfectly red pout, I've never found a red lipstick that looks decent on me.  I've tried (believe me) but I always end up looking a little girl that found her mama's lipstick and decided to play dress-up...it's messy, uneven, and always ends up on my teeth. But this lip gloss is a bit more forgiving. It's a deeper shade of red without being too opaque and it stays for a remarkably long time. Even if you're eating muffins.

4.  Big House Wines Big House Red ($14.98).  You didn't think I'd forget to include red wine, did you? And since New Year's resolutions are in full force and we're only drinking on the weekends around here, I need a way to keep my wine fresh for longer. This Big House Red box wine fits the bill perfectly, keeping my libations fresh for up to 6 weeks in the vacuum-sealed packaging.  It's a nice blend of flavors from dark berries to cherries to vanilla and it pairs nicely with just about anything.  Yes, even muffins.

5. Glad to Adhere it Tape Set ($8.99) I can think of lots of crafty purposes for these cute masking tapes in red & white!  They'd be fabulous for wrapping up valentine goodies, as a decorative border on scrapbook pages, or a cute way to seal the envelopes on cards.  They'd also come in handy if you need to tape your mouth shut to prevent yourself from eating anymore muffins. Ahem.

Enjoy your Friday now! {And don't forgive the birthday giveaway below is still open!} 

(Of course, he wasn't wearing a banana costume, but that would have made for a great delivery room story, no?)

Since that night in Tulsa, Oklahoma when he made us parents, he's brought laughter and smiles to our lives on a daily basis. He is smart, witty, sensitive and caring and generally just one pretty awesome little dude. (Though with a shoe size officially larger than mine, he's not really that little anymore!)

So today I'm wishing the happiest of birthdays to my one and only Hayden Grey...may your day contain all the happiness and joy that you bring to us!

And since we're all about birthday celebrations today, I've put together a little birthday mini-kit for this week's giveaway:

It includes some festive 6x6 papers, mini KI Memories pockets, an acrylic template, rub-ons, washi tape, paint, flocking, and various embellishments perfect for documenting a celebration of any kind!

If you'd like to be entered to win these goodies, just leave me a comment below.**  I'll keep the comments open until Monday morning, January 23, and post the winner here shortly thereafter.

Happy, happy!

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until the morning of January 23 (whenever I've consumed enough coffee to function) and the winner will be randomly drawn and announced at the bottom of this post and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage. And that concludes the fine print.

UPDATED WITH WINNER!  Congrats to Sandi M, the winner of the birthday goodie pack!  Shoot me an email and I'll get your goodies out to you!

I recently received a sympathy card from the veterinarian that took care of Vegas during her illness, with this sentiment inside the card:

Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears,
but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you...
I loved you so - 'twas Heaven here with you.

The subject of Vegas' death is still pretty emotional and raw for me, so I've tended to avoid thinking about it, as it brings back bittersweet emotions that are not always easy to process. But I don't always want my thoughts of Vegas to be of the difficult last days. I want to recall those moments of "Heaven" that this quote mentions. So I faced my sadness and set aside some time to go through old photos that spanned Vegas' life. In seeing those photos, I recalled so many wonderful memories..the surprise of her arrival as my birthday gift....the many mischievious hijinks that ensued with her and Harley in my tiny apartment...the snuggly, purring bundle that slept on my pillow each night....the loud meows that reminded us of her love for dinner time....the cross-country moves where she served as my co-pilot.  Those images made me smile, and it struck me -  this is why I scrapbook. To be transported to the happy times - the tender moments - the small minutes - that make life the rich, fulfilling, magical thing it is.

And so, I set out to create a page that captured just that. I gathered some favorite photos, a simple grouping of supplies, and the quote from the sympathy card. Eventually, I ended up with this:

S U P P L I E S :

The combination of photos + words + the little tangle of thread and buttons makes me remember my kitty and the happy minutes she brought to my days. Looking at this page, I can see beyond the sadness of her death.  The process was not an easy one, but perhaps that makes the result all the more meaningful.  I've created a page that portrays a piece of my heart. It reminds me of the sweetness (and fragility) of our moments here on earth.  And it brings on a flood of memories  - both happy and bittersweet - but that's the stuff of life, right? And yes, that is why I scrapbook.

S U P P L I E S :

While I've planned to have most weeks take up a two-page spread, I'm giving myself permission to do a single pagers these first two weeks. I think the smaller canvas will make it less intimidating and get me rolling, at which point I'll move to the larger format.

Besides the photos (which I've already determined I need to take more of!), I've included journaling layered over my large photo on vellum (rockin' it old school!), movie tickets, and a sweet note I found in one of Riely's papers:

I ended up adhering a few of the embellishments on the exterior of the pockets because I liked the tactile element they added. Having everything behind the plastic protectors seemed a bit sterile to me. The stitching on this heart was kind of difficult as I didn't want to go through the other side of the page protector, so I had to maneuver my needle inside the tight space of the pocket and it ended up a bit wonky. Plus it's really hard to do straight stitching after a few glasses of Pinot Grigio.

One of the challenges I foresee with this project is letting go of my OCD tendencies to have everything in the album perfectly coordinate and match. I am planning to keep the date die cuts consistent (though I may cut them out of different colored cardstock) but everything else will be a hodge podge of whatever strikes my fancy that particular week. I figure it will be a more accurate reflection of our lives if everything is just a bit mis-matched. Er, kind of like my socks today.

I'm also not sure I will always include this much journaling. I have a feeling some weeks will require a quicker format like lists or simple labels - and I think that's OK.  Like I said, I hate to put too many constraints on the project as its completion is more important to me than the actual aesthetics.

So how did your first week go? Any challenges or roadblocks you encountered? Do you have pages to share? And am I the only one wearing mismatched socks??

1.  Asics Gel-Noosa Tri 6 ($107.99).  Mike got me these shoes for Christmas and my inner eighth grader couldn't have been happier.  If only I still had the neon pink Flashdance sweatshirt, chartruese leggings and armful of Gummi bracelets to match them. These comfy lightweight racers may look flashy, but once they're on my feet, I don't give them a second thought (and if you're a runner, you know the last thing you want from a shoe is to be thinking about it during a run). And bonus - they could possibly blind my competition with their obnoxious hues, giving me a slight advantage in the next race.  I'll take whatever I can get.

2.  The Non-Planner Datebook ($12.99).  I love everything from Keri Smith and this quirky little planner is no exception.  I'm not using it as a date book, but it's perfect for jotting down quotes, lists, ideas, and random inspiration. With Project Life high on my priority list, this non-planner will be the perfect spot to keep track of all the details I want to document.

3.  Tab Punch from Jenni Bowlin Studio ($12.99).  While we're on the subject of Project Life, how perfect is this new tab punch for adding little labels to your album? The tab is just about 1" wide and will save me the time of tracing and trimming out file tabs to use on my projects. And in case you missed the announcement, Jenni has a whole slew of other adorable punches available now, too!

4.  The Laundress Scented Vinegar ($12.00).  I've managed to stay on top of my household duties for almost two weeks now (someone needs to call Guiness!) and this lovely discovery is helping me with that accomplishment.  I love using vinegar + water in lots of cleaning applications, especially to damp mop our extensive wood floors.  But, um...the smell is icky. This solution changes all that by adding bergamot, thyme, lavender, musk and ylang ylang to natural vinegar. And it leaves my house smelling clean and fresh and a lot less like salad dressing.

5.  State of the Artist Keepsake Box ($24.99).  I'm always on the lookout for funky storage items and the retro graphics on this art supply box won me over. It makes a colorful place to organize the many random receipts, lists, notes, coupons and miscellanous items that get strewn about the kitchen. It would also make an ideal collection spot for Project Life paraphenalia. Or to hide my chocolate stash. (Unless my husband happens to be reading this post, in which case I will vehemently deny having any such stash.) So yeah, anyway, it's a fantastic piece that makes me smile.

Hope you enjoy your Friday! (and don't forget the giveaway in Thursday's post is still open!)

Plus, I've also got a complete JBS Antiquarian Kit from this month as well:

If you'd like to help promote the cause of Keep Lisa's Desk Clean and give a new home to these goodies, then just leave me a comment below.**  I'll keep the comments open until Monday morning, January 16, and post the winner here shortly thereafter.

And have a wonderfully organized Thursday, ya'll!

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until the morning of January 16 (whenever I've consumed enough coffee to function) and the winner will be randomly drawn and announced at the bottom of this post and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage. And that concludes the fine print. 

UPDATED WITH WINNER!!  Congrats to Rebecca, who will be helping perpetuate the clean status of my desk! Thanks to everyone who stopped by (and your overwhelming willingness to help m cause!)  Stop by next Thursday for another giveaway, alrighty?!