Do you want to CREATE YOUR SPARK???

I have missed posting about parties, but a friend and I have been working on a super secret project and now we're finished!

Check out our new planner/organizer:

This is an undated weekly planner, so you can start it anytime- even NOW!

Each week has two pages.

The left page has a weekly spark, which is an activity designed to keep you on track for reaching your goals and keep you focused on what you REALLY WANT:

Each week, there is a different weekly spark that will inspire you to create the life you really want!  On each left page, there is a space for you to journal about your weekly spark, as well as extra space to use however you want.  It's unlined, so you can sketch (I'll be sketching my party plans), make separate boxes for family members, keep a food log- the possibilities are endless.

The right side is an undated, weekly calendar:

For each day, there is a place to keep track of daily activities on the left.  On the right, there is a place for listing up to 3 daily focuses.  These could be your most important tasks, current projects, or Quadrant 2 (I love Steven Covey) activities for the day.

Check it out here:

Create Your Spark: A Weekly Guide

We are really excited about this and hope you will be too.  Let us know what you think!

I mean, who doesn't want to KEEP CALM and GOBBLE ON??

Craftily Ever After

Ohhhhhh my.  How cute are these.  First I found the picture frame DIY project at Tatertots and Jello, which sent me to WhipperBerry, where I found these FREE printables at Craftily Ever After.

No idea whatsoever how our parents amused themselves during naptimes without the internet.

So many crafts I want to do, so little time!  But these are easy, FREE, and can be easily stored and used year to year.  That's a WIN/WIN/WIN in my book!

New twist on a Thanksgiving tradition

WhipperBerry

I love this idea.  I see so many cool ideas for using old frames.  I love this one, mainly because I could actually make it myself without any help.   You can find step by step instructions at Tatertots and Jello.

I can see using this for lots of other things, too.  Like chore charts for kids.  Monthly menus in the kitchen.  For a birthday party, you could display a picture of the guest of honor at each age...

Yes, I must make one of these...

Girls Night OWLS

Owls are all the rage this season.  I know, because my closet guru put this on my wish list recently.  I bought it and love it- as I do everything she suggests- but I digress.

Owls can symbolize wisdom, foresight, and the ability to see things that are hidden.  Moreover, they are clearly masters of the night.

So, next week I am hosting an impromptu Moms Night Out for my MOMS club and today I was shopping for my girls and got these adorable owl barrettes.  Naturally, on my way home, my musings of Girls' Night Out melded with my thoughts about owl accessories and resulted in:

GIRLS' NIGHT OWLS

Oh, how I amuse my self on that trek back to the burbs....

Here's what I think would make an owl party a real HOOT:

FAVORS

etsy.com

For a little girls party, or for a group of fun ladies, I am loving these charms.  I like to have something that reminds me of a fun evening, and these could be put on simple cords and turned into necklaces, put on a key chain, or used as a zipper pull for your favorite hoodie.  Since owls are so this season you'd be able to wear it with style.

FOOD

Owl Pops

For treats, owl pops are easy to make using moon pies or Oreos.  Of course, I would suggest using Newman's Own cookies because they have ingredients that more closely resemble real food- ones I can pronounce...but that's just me. ;)

For drinks, I think Nolita Night Owl Punch and Night Owl Pumpkin Ale sound super fun.  For a non-alcoholic drink, I would make your favorite punch and name it owl punch or owl coolers.

INVITATIONS

These are cute and free to download here.  Of course, I really prefer online invites these days.  If you want help keeping track of RSVPs, you can use evite or punch bowl.  Unless I want to use the invite as a keepsake for the guest of honor, I like to simply create my own fun invitation on my desktop using picasa or even Microsoft word, save it as a pdf, and email it out to my guests.  You can also use punch bowl to create your invite using their graphics and save it to your desktop to email or print.  I haven't had a chance to use the site yet.  If anyone else has, I'd love to hear about it!

This could be thrown together so easily and would be a great fall party.  Happy partying!

Wondering what to do with all that CANDY???

In the name of Science, get your kids to give up some of their candy for some really cool experiments!

Check out this article on mothering.com.  


Of course, you could also stick some in the freezer to dig out for stuffing stockings...