First Day of School

I climbed in bed with Sadie this morning to wake her up. I kept squeezing her little body & brushing her hair out of her face. She stretched a few times & then woke up. We talked for a little bit & I asked her if she was excited to go to first grade this morning. She told me that she was a little scared because she would be away from me for so long. I assured her that she would be so busy that she wouldn't even notice. Mama on the other hand....


It happened so fast. We waved goodbye & she was gone. Then it was just Claire & I left to walk back to the car alone. I was really doing fine & then at that moment when she walked off, I was hit with emotion. It's always been like that & I'm sure it always will be. I asked Claire if she missed Sadie & she said "I want to give her a hug & a kiss." Me too, little one. Me too. I wish I could hold on to their little bodies forever. But there is also something really great about watching them grow up & become their own little people. :)

Weekend Photos

We went to a baseball game Saturday night. The weather was great. The game was really fun to watch. We ate peanuts & cheered for the home team. Claire came home with a ball. :)

Saturday Song

There is something about Band of Horses' music that is so comforting to me. I really love their new album Infinite Arms & I've been listening to it a lot this week. It's pretty & cool & you should check it out if you haven't already. Here's a listen:

Friday Etsy Faves

1. Flock of Birds Screenprint by ninainvorm
2. Old School AMC Gremlin tattoo tee by harley and axle
3. Yeti shadow puppet by owly shadow puppets
4. MOD Globe by sweetshorn
5. muted turquoise large vintage rose ring by My Fair Laydee
6. Punk Block Bot by wkd studios
7. Vintage Wallpaper by Beca Runs
8. Teeny Nimbus Earrings by Joanna Rutter

Exercise

Exercise is not something I'm driven to do every day. I'd rather sew. I'm learning that it's important & very much needed in my life though. I always start an exercise program when I want to lose weight. Then I give up after a month because I haven't dropped 10 pounds. Also, I use the excuse that I want to have another baby as a reason to not exercise. See, another pregnancy will wreck my body again, so why not wait until I'm done having babies to go through the work? I know. I know. I know just how ridiculous it sounds.

Well, I've been exercising steadily again for the past month & a half. I'm feeling good. I'm down a couple pounds, but I feel strong. This time I am using Jillian Michaels' dvds & I really love them. They're hard, but I like that.

Last night Dylan told me that he could tell that I hadn't worked out that day. I was totally shocked at this. He said that when I've exercised, I carry myself a bit differently, like I'm proud of myself.

I hadn't noticed it, but it must be true if he can sense it so well. And you know what, I am proud of myself! I'm proud of myself for having done bicycle crunches, squats, shoulder presses & 27 push ups!

It makes me happy & so I need to remember that it is important to have it in my life regularly. And if my body so happens to respond & change shape, that will be awesome too.

Also, just so you know...really cheap, I mean cool people store their dvds in old shoe boxes. :) Do you exercise at home as well? Which dvds do you like to use?

September Sponsorship 50% Off

It's time to get my sponsors together for September! I have a few ad spaces available & I've decided to extend my summer time 50% off advertising sale through the month of September. So if you are looking to advertise your shop or blog & love a good deal, send me an e-mail at SparklePowerCandace@gmail.com & I'll get you all the details. Thanks! :)

Pretty Vintage Sheeting Pillow

This pillow was inspired by pretty stacks of fabric. I think it's super sweet & happy. What do you think?

Just so you know, I added her to the shop this morning.

Pretty Vintage Burp Cloths

I have this thing for burp cloths. Could be that they are so very much needed when you have a little baby around. They are currently my handmade gift of choice whenever giving a new baby gift these days. I made a batch out of vintage sheeting for the shop. I think they are gooooorgeous! A stack of pretty burpies like these are definitely on my list of stuff to make for myself if I'm ever lucky enough to have another baby.

Weekend Photos

My parents rented this really awesome cabin up in Brianhead for the weekend. Most of my family was able to make it. We had 11 adults & 15 kids! It was insane & a whole lot of fun. We're already hoping to go again next year. :) The kids had the time of their lives. Claire wanted to live in the "cavin" forever.

Going to the Mountains & Saturday Song

We are headed to the mountains for the weekend. Yeehaw! I had to track down this poster by Tangible Worldwide. I love it. I saw it at Urban Outfitters, but it doesn't look like they are selling it anymore. Bummer.


For some reason I have Sparklehorse in my head. His music has a mountainy feel to it, I suppose. So here is my Saturday Song (a day early):



"dogs will wag their tails
and birds will sing
hell, it's a hard world for little things"

Meatless Taco Salad

If you're not a vegetarian & not interested in eating less meat in order to protect animals, protect the environment, make a stand for food safety, etc., then I would encourage you to try to eat meatless at least twice a week & your motivation can be to save money. Sound good? Oh also it's good for your health. There's another reason. :)

This is an easy, easy recipe. It's super tasty & delicious & takes no time. I basically use an old taco salad recipe that I used to make & I just leave out the ground beef, because you don't need that red meat. It tastes just as good, if not better & is healthier for you.

Okay! The bean mixture is super easy. Just 3 ingredients. A can of pinto beans (could also use kidney beans or any other bean you want), a can of cream corn & a packet of taco seasoning.


Put all three in a skillet & cook over medium heat until well mixed & heated through.


Then use it on your taco salad. We find that the best combination is to use Hint of Lime tortilla chips & ranch dressing. Of course you're going to have lettuce & then whatever other toppings you want. We like shredded cheese, olives, diced tomatoes, avocado, a squeeze of lime & a few cilantro sprigs.


Enjoy!

Awesome!

I love the word "awesome". It's one of my very favorite words & I say it a lot. Anyway, I had the idea to put it on a flag garland & I think it turned out, well...awesome!

Don't you think this would look great hanging up at your next party? Or maybe just around the house for some fun every day decoration.

This one is totally available for purchase in the shop. :)

Sponsor Love

I have lots of love for our awesome sponsors & today I have lots of updates as well!

First of all, the winner of The Modern Marigold $40 Gift Certificate is...

Sherry who said: "I like Girl's Reversible Ruched Headband - Strawberry Parfait"
Congratulations Sherry. We're all jealous of you. And thanks to all who participated.



Remember that The Modern Marigold is still offering a discount for Sparkle Power readers through the end of the month. Just mention "sparkle power" in the notes to seller section of your order & receive or 15% off through the end of August, to be refunded via Paypal. So hop on over there & grab some some skirts or hair clips for back to school!!




Now, I am super excited to welcome a new Sparkle Power Sponsor!!! The my fair laydee shop carries the most adorable jewelry & awesome vintage finds. I just love the sweet, romantic, girly feeling of everything in this shop & I know I could easily fill a jewelry box with everything I see there. Here are a few of my favorites:








Remember the Lily & Thistle paper dolls? How could you forget!? Well, don't forget that Hannah is still offering a free fall line of outfits ($8 value) with the purchase of any package (Ultimate, Standard or Print-It-Yourself) for Sparkle Power readers! Just write "Sparkle" in the instructions to buyer at checkout. And the super cute boy dolls are now available! Awesome!









And check out the adorable new sandal pattern from Lena's Patterns. Perfect for the end of summer into warm fall days. I just love them!


Be sure to visit all our sponsors by clicking on their links on the right hand sidebar & don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested in advertising your shop or blog. I still have a few spots available. :)

Holding Pattern

It's windy & hot & humid in Vegas today. I keep hoping that rain will fall. Summer is almost over. Only 2 more weeks until Sadie goes back to school. I don't know whether to feel happy that a change is on the way or upset that summer is slipping away. Part of me wants to stay right where we are for a while. Part of me knows that we all need a little change. The days can be long sometimes & tempers can flare from spending so much time together.

We have a few more fun family adventures planned before school starts again. So there are fun things to look forward to. I'm not going to be sad. Still, I feel nervous about Sadie starting first grade. It's a mother's job to worry, worry, worry. Right?

I feel like this waiting period is effecting my creativity as well. I'm tried of cooking the same things & tired of sewing the same things. A new season always brings new inspiration. Are you in a holding pattern as well? Or is it just me?

On a side note: Today is the last day to enter the Modern Marigold Giveaway for a $40 Gift Certificate. Make sure you get your comment in right away!

Freezing Corn

We purchased a big batch of Colorado sweet corn from our food co-op & so I spent some time on Saturday freezing it. I think we started with about 30 ears of corn.





So here is my process. Drop the ears of corn in a pot of boiling water for 5 min. Pull them out & allow to cool for a few minutes. Then cut the corn from the ears & put desired amount in freezer bags.

When you're ready to eat them. Pull them out of the freezer, put the corn in a microwave safe bowl with a little butter, salt & pepper & pop in the microwave for a few minutes. Tastes so much better than any frozen corn you can get at the grocery store.

We finished with a good stack of bags in the freezer & little niblets of corn all over the kitchen. :)