Life's a Beach

I'm about to head to my last dr. appt before we meet our last new baby... but just wanted to share this totally cool giveaway with y'all first.  You win the entire.party.  Everything you see here (talk about the ultimate in semi-homemade entertaining)!  It's unbelievable!  Go here to enter (and if you win, I want to be invited to your fab beachy party!)

More from me later today before I'm off to the hospital tomorrow!
xoxo,

Must Have Giveaway

Have y'all realized that mom's day is right around the corner?  I'm so glad I found Julian & Co so early into my mommyhood.  I love, love, LOVE my Julian & Co necklaces.  I got the Square Birth Necklace from mr. fix-it for my first mom's day (back in 2006!) with Big Sis's name and birth info.  And then I was lucky enough to get the Large Gallery neck with G's stats after his birth. 

And to celebrate their newest arrival (isn't that cute?) - the Initial Wax Seal Necklace - they're giving one away!  Ahhhh, this would make me so happy!  I love these necklaces so much, that you may remember me telling y'all how I bought one for a friend of mine when the adoption for her son was final.  They're just perfect... for a mom, a bride, a friend, yourself.
Simply visit their blog and enter - it's so easy!  And if you win... come back and tell me how much you LOVE your new necklace!

If I had $100...

I'd totally buy this (AND get a pedi! Hmmm... actually, I'm considering leaving work a little early tomorrow and getting a pedi before I pick up the kids. It's been months!!)

It's Urban Decay's newest set, the Alice in Wonderland palette (get it from Sephora - but it's sold out online!) And the colors look perfect for me! Lots of warm browns and bronzes... a couple smokey greys/blacks... then a couple 'out there' colors for when you're having fun! (The colors have fun names, too, like White Rabbit, Jabberwocky, etc!) It also comes with a couple of liners and their primer, which I.love.and.adore.

I have this set and totally wish I could justify another set. ;) There are great everyday colors in here... and I would have loved to have owned it last Halloween when I was trying to pull off some a glam witch look!

So, what's a girl to do when you're craving new makeup (BIG TIME!)? Go enter Sasha's giveaway and win a fab Too Faced Palette! You have until next Tues, but hurry!

Besides new makeup, what REALLY keeps me going is the awesome comments from y'all! I can't tell you how bright my day got when I read this on Monday (which was an especially craptastic day!):

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Elaine- I have been following your blog for a while now and finally wanted to comment on this post. I dont have kids but am married and am trying to figure out how eventually I will balance everything. I read your blog and think you are an inspiration. Though sometimes it's tough, your kids seem really happy and your devotion to them is so clear. Even though you missed the meeting, your success in both work and family is an inspiration!

~ TheOwenOpus

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Wow!!! Thanks for the love! I honestly read that 100 times... fwded it to my sister... and used it as a pick-me-up all day! Hugs to all my great readers - love y'all!

And for anyone who might be wanting an update on the meeting situation... it didn't go as it would have otherwise. The feedback I got ranged from "okay" to "bizarre." I feel awful for my buyer.... management focused on a few issues that were really non-issues and (had I been there) I could have squashed in 5 seconds. Not sure they learned anything by this.... but it's amazing what happened to the whole team's morale. And I hope that is the lesson to them.

And the winner is.....

Thanks so much to everyone who played along - I wish I could have shipped yummy apples to all of you! And as close as I am to 100 followers.... I'm thinking I should try to put another giveaway together to celebrate that! (Just saw pics of their newest creation - gourmet strawberries! Stay tuned!)

It's funny, but only seems fitting that the winner of the First Ever Semi-Homemade giveaway is the very person who encouraged me to start blogging a year ago. She even "announced" me to the blogging world and directed my very first followers to me.

Sasha's winning entry:

Sasha said...
Heath is my favorite candy bar and I'd love to have an apple with Heath!
February 8, 2010 1:25 PM

And because Mr. Fix-It worried someone might call shenanigans on the outcome (men!), here's the print out from the random number generator! (Okay, so seriously, how does one get a screen shot of this to post? Instead of printing.scanning.blogging?)

Sasha, I'll see if a Heath apple can be done for you - if not, you'll need to let me know which flavor you'd like! And I'll get your goodies mailed out as soon as it stops SNOWING! (Seriously?! 6+ inches in my lil town already and it's still going. Need I remind you that I live in TEXAS?!)

Congrats to Sasha & thanks to everyone for playing. Be watching for more giveaways, and in the meantime, stay tuned for more semi-homemade fun!

The FIRST EVER Semi-Homemade Giveaway

Because it's winter and I hate winter. Because we're celebrating my birthday (which was this wk!) Because my dear friend shared with me her hubby's new business venture and I couldn't wait to share it with y'all. Because I've always wanted to do a giveaway. Because I've officially been blogging for a year (as of Jan 30th). And because y'all brighten my day.

Those are all the reasons why I'm so excited to about my first ever Semi-Homemade Giveaway! I decided to throw together a few of my absolute fav items that are totally imperative in leading the Semi-Homemade life!

First.... just feast your eyes on this.....

I'm telling you right now, words do not exist to explain how yummy these treats are! My friend's husband, a former chef, has created THE perfect gourmet apples. The winner will have their pick of these flavors (with choice of white or milk chocolate):

Butterfinger

Skor

Whoppers

Oreo

Sprinkles

Peanut

Heath

I've had the butterfinger one.... okay, and the oreo one..... and by tomorrow, I'll possibly have had the sprinkles one (doesn't it look cute below? for a bday?).... and they're to die for! And totally a size to share. You know what they say.... everything's bigger in Texas! And these are Texas-sized gourmet apples!

I'm giving these gourmet apples to Big Sis and G-man's teachers for Valentine's day.... kinda An Apple for the Teacher kinda thing... don't worry, I'll share when I'm done customizing them! (Oh, and if you don't win? They're available for $8/each or 3/$21. They're working on getting an ordering system up, but if you're in a hurry, contact me at oursemihomemadelife at yahoo dot com and I can put you in touch with them asap! They can ship them anywhere!)

You'll also win a new nail polish - color TBD! If you're like me... and can't even find time for a pedi these days, at least a new color will help you start looking towards sprig (at least that's what I'm telling myself!) Isn't OPI genuius with their marketing? Love the Alice in Wonderland theme out late this summer!

Y'all know that I love the BBW foaming soap.... you'll have one of my fav scents comin' to ya!

You'll also get this cute desk calendar with modern floral designs (okay, you can discard January, but the other 11 months are good to go!), a cute heart decal - perfect for your v-day craft (from Decal Monograms), a roll of tulle in a fun spring color (you'll have the cutest presents!!), AND you'll get a fun spa set from BBW and some assorted stationary that I've been loving!!

How do you enter?

• Become a follower of Our Semi-Homemade Life - I'd love to get to know you!
• For an extra entry, suggest what flavors you'd like to see in a gourmet apple!
• For another extra entry, blog about this giveaway and provide the link in your comments
  

Contest is over on Wednesday, Feb 10th at 10pm CST. Winner will be announced on Thurs!

And while you're in a winning mode.....

~visit Bridal Gown blog for a chance to win those fun Message-in-a-Cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma, among other fab things!

~visit Design Dazzle, she's having a great giveaway from Charm Factory!

New Year, New.... GIVEAWAY

Y'all, I am so excited to introduce you to a yummy new business started by a dear friend! Pics & details to come (I need to be home during DAYLIGHT, so I can take a couple good pics in some natural light!).... but until then, here's a tease!

I'm a FINALIST! And YOU can be a WINNER!

Wow, this is THE single most exciting thing to ever happen for Our Semi-Homemade Life! It was an honor when G-man's Pirate Nursery was featured on one of my fav blogs in the first place.... and now this!

Toni of Design Dazzle made my day when she emailed me this weekend and said:

Congratulations! Your Navy & White Nautical Nursery that was featured on Design Dazzle has been chosen as a Design Dazzler and one of the top ten posts from my blog. You have the possibility of being chosen the top Design Dazzler.
What is a Design Dazzler? de·sign daz·zler: person who dazzles with design and decorating skills

Whoa!!! Isn't that exciting? Besides the honor of the title, the winner also receives $500 in gift certificates from sponsors such as Design Dazzle, Red Envelope and more. (Squeal!!)

I'd just be so appreciative for your votes, your best friend's vote, your mom's vote, your blog readers votes. You can vote each and every day (from Mon, Nov 16th to Fri,Nov 20th) right here. Doesn't matter what you say - just leave me some love!

Now, where does your winning come into play? Ahh, glad you asked.

There is a total of $500 in prizes and gift certificates to be won by YOU - those leaving comments on any of the 10 design dazzler nominees posts (3 winners will share the prize)!

I still can't believe this - what an honor! Out of 400+ posts on their blog, only 10 were selected!!

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So, in review:

Visit Design Dazzle daily this week.

Vote for G-man's nursery!

Blog about it and send your readers!

Help one of my fav blogs celebrate their 1st birthday with a party that includes over $2000 in prizes and giveaways. Toni filled me in on a couple of them and they're HUGE!!

12 Days of Junkie

One of my fav sites, Tip Junkie, is hosting the 12 Days of Junkie through Nov 20th!

Today's giveaways:
1. Your choice of any 2 camera strap slipcovers from Shealynn, a $36 value.
You can keep them both or use one and give the other as a gift! Shealynn’s camera strap slipcovers are made to order. (If I win this, totally expect to see a giveaway here for the 2nd camera strap!)

2. A $50 gift certificate to Scrappy Gifts.
Need creative crafty gifts for family, friends, or for yourself? Don’t have the time to make a crafty gift or to scrapbook? (Omg, am I that obvious? How did they know?!) Let me help you! I specialize in making scrapbooks: everyday scrapbooks, calendar, baby and wedding scrapbooks , guest books, scrapbook layouts, and creative gifts: scrappy canvas, clocks, and boxes.

Lash out! A giveaway...

Okay, so I have a cold. And apparently, so has our internet. All week. Mr. Fix-It finally fixed it (because that's what he does!) late last night, after hours of cussing, unhelpful 'help' from the folks at the internet company, and his general fix-it skills that make him such a handy guy!

So.... while I make you wait WAY too long for a debriefing on the Semi-Homemade Halloween party (and all the goodness of yummy food, great friends, and hilarious costumes!)..... I present you with this:

A chance to win pure awesomeness from Sephora, one of my all-time fave stores! Seriously, with this damn recession, Mr. Fix-It and I have had to tighten up the budgets again (every few months or so, we kinda loosen up.... and then whoa! time to get back on plan!) ;) Anyway, I was thinking... what I wouldn't do for a new lipstick or mascara or pair of shoes....something to add to what I already have, some way to spice up my life without spending much! And what better way than to win something?!

Sephora wants to know what beauty product YOU are thankful for. Tell them and you're entered to win, so simple! And the 3 prizes are sets that are all valued over $100 - woo hoo! (And if you DO win.... and you're thankful that you found out about this contest thru me.... maybe you send one of those mascaras my way. You don't have to, I'm just saying...)

Enter here and have a good one - the weekend is coming!! :)

The Semi-Homemade Back to School Guide

Back to School is better (and easier!)....... thanks to Etsy (duh!) and Cool Mom Picks! I've got it all here - from custom looks to personalized paper... and from new traditions to teacher gifts!

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Let's start with visiting my friends over at Paper & Cake - especially if you're a teacher! I think this fun set would also be great for parents & students, too! Especially if you love to customize everything, like I do! Remember their mantra? Print ~ Cut ~ Party! Love that! You simply order your package and they email you everything you need. It's practically instant!

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The Back-to-School Teacher's Collection includes:

* a teacher's daily planner (formatted for a 3-ring binder) - Or why not use this to keep your kids' schedules straight?

* "Welcome" door banner - customizable! Y'all know how fun customizing is...

* bookmarks

* tent style desk name plates

* seating chart (formatted for a 3-ring binder)

* large & small stickers - I think I have a small sticker problem. Okay, okay, I admit it... a BIG problem!

* alphabet pennant banner

* note cards + envelopes (for notes home or notes to teacher!)

* letterhead

* fill-in certificates

* art saved as .png files (can be used as room decorations or ironed-on tee shirts or a canvas bag!)

* snack boxes (great for snacks or art supplies!)

* pencil toppers (in two styles)

* two full sheets of patterned paper (for artwork, scrapbooking, decorating, wrapping, etc!)

Here are some pics, for all you visual people. ;)

Okay, now something for the moms, college students (or even stylish tots!) And free, too! Check out this giveaway on some of the most fun stationary! There are tons of cute ones to pick from, but the adirondack chairs and the small crab flats are my fav! Check out the giveaway here!

Those notecards would be a perfect place to try out the new Sharpie pens I've been dying to try! (Sad, I know, but fun office supplies make a difference in the office!) But when do you think it'll come in fuschia or aqua? ;)

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Okay, but back to the kiddos... how fun is the Traveling Tots Art Tote? And what a great idea at only $18! I love the guitar print for boys:

And here's one of the girly prints:

This is PERFECT for traveling or entertaining your tots while you (try!) to eat at a restaurant! It's made by Tag Line Designs and they say:

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This adorable Traveling Tots Art Tote is the perfect solution to entertaining toddlers and kids of all ages. They have so many options that it will keep them busy for a very long time. Great for kids going to school! This comes with crayons, chalk, paper and chalk mat. As a special touch, I have included some paper cut outs for your little one to glue to their hearts content. Just add a glue stick, it will fit! You can swap anything in this tote for something or add them all. Crayons, Markers, Chalk, Glue Stick, etc.

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And kids have GOT to go back-to-school in style! So, what about this pillowcase dress in APPLES and cream?

You can find a bow to match ANY outfit at Southern Baby Boutique. They've even got some monogrammed bows for that preppy back-to-school princess!

Or girly girls can carry their pencils in style with this Bow Pencil Case from Katie Gariepy!

But the boys aren't left out! I'm sending G-man back to school in the shirt from his 1 year pics! It's from Punky Monkey and I heart it!

As always, The Cool Mom Picks Back-to-School Shopping Guide preps your kiddo to be the most stylish one in class. Check out the list of discounts and score some cool back to school gear!

To show your new teacher some love, why not just rework the S'more Semi-Homemade Teacher gifts that we used at the end of last school year? It was a big hit with our teachers!

And finally..... I think I'll start a new tradition at the Semi-Homemade house for the first day of school this year.... centered around a fun breakfast! I saw this idea and thought it looked fun:

You just take a bagel, cover it in cream cheese, and your kids can decorate it with whatever goodies you have/buy/deem appropriate. Of course, the always-in-a-hurry-mom that I know I am... I'm thinking this is better left for a weekend, maybe the day before school starts or the Sat after the first week back.

Luckily for me, my kids (and Mr. Fix-It!) will be equally impressed with the semi-homemade route that I'll probably end up going for that first day of school. I'll either make muffins the night before (just simple ones, from a mix!) or pick up Big Sister's favorite, kolaches! (I apologize for this bad, almost gross, really, picture of kolaches! I couldn't find a better one!)

Happy Back to School, y'all! And if you live in TX, get out and get your shop on! Next weekend (thanks, Mrs. Everything!) is tax-free weekend! Click here to get the latest on what's included and get shoppin'!

Making an 'impression'

Isn't this super cute? And someone gets to win a complete print of your choice of personalized baby artwork - a $200 value!

Baby Print Art employs a “stamping” process for a child’s feet and/or hands that can be integrated into a unique piece of artwork chosen by the customer. All backgrounds are fully customizable and can include a photo of the child or any other picture the customer chooses.

And they can print literally any color - they take custom requests to match any room. Like this:

I love the combo of the foot, baby face, and hand print above!

Then again, I love the simplicity of just the footprint in this nursery.

And it's not just for babies! What a cute way to capture any age!

Visit Design Dazzle to read more about the process (it's easy!) and enter to win! (But would't this be perfect to do in conjuction with G-man's (still primarily unplanned) birthday!

Who likes to read?

Me!!!!!!!!!!!! Who has time? Uh, that's another story.

But check out this awesome giveaway from the sweetest cupcake connoisseur - Kimmie! Earlier this year, she met Jen Lancaster, author of the book I'm reading right now (Bitter is the New Black) and a bunch of other super fun reads. Anyway, she had Jen autograph her latest and greatest, Pretty in Plaid and she's giving it away!

How sweet is that? I've been wanting to read that, but who can afford the hardback in this recession? (Okay, if I was willing to part with my 1 - or 2 - a week Starbucks deliciousness, I could prob afford it. But I'm not willing to go to that extreme!) Just visit her giveaway and enter to win!

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And I promise I'll get around to a pic recap of the 4th. We had lots of fun. But then the reality of Sunday and an insanely packed work week hit me yesterday and well.... everything else fell to the bottom of the list. Stay tuned!

Great giveaway!

This is a huge giveaway to celebrate the bday of Tip Junkie!

Seriously, I'd love to have just any of this stuff! And I could totally use the custom invite - it would save me from making my own for G-man's pirate bday party! Be sure to go enter!!

More later! I've been in mtgs all day..... but I've got so many random posts, I can't decide which one to do next!

Quick giveaway!

In my life there are lists. Tons of them. I'm known for my lists. (And for the record, yes, I know that there's no earthly way I'll get everything on my list done. I know...)

At my home computer, I have a calendar like the one above (but not half as cute!) that has EVERYTHING on it! The Semi-Homemades rarely go a weekend without being scheduled to the minute, so it's a must have. But my current calendar is by school year, so it ends at July!

So... if you must.... visit Whitney Caroline Designs and try to steal this calendar right from under me. Just know how much I need it.... ;)

Okay, back to work - I have 80 hrs of work to do between today and tomorrow. But be watching later this week for my Semi-Homemade End of the School Year Teacher Gifts! (Say that 3 times fast!)

OMG! Check out Pioneer Woman's Photo Book Giveaway!!

Gotta go to bed, but had to share this quickly! 50 winners will each win 5 photo books from Snapfish - how cool is that?!

Spring giveaways, C25K, and Cute stuff!

I only have a sec, but just a few things to share....

First - another wonderful mixer giveaway from Pioneer Woman. (Isn't she amazing? And she lives right where Mr. Fix-It grew up!)

Now.... if you win and I sent you there.... you have to promise to bake something fabulous and ship it to me. Okay?

Okay, another fun giveaway!! My Flip Flopz is giving away this cute chalkboard!! Available in different colors and she'll add your monogram! Please, please tell her I sent ya!


Ahhhh, to have a little girl again! (Maybe one day... just not one day soon!) I love, love ruffle butts - we used to call Big Sis by that when she was a babe, because of the sheer amount of pants, bloomers, etc, she had with ruffles on the butt. OMG, this is so cute. Seriously, if we weren't in a recession (I know, Mr. Fix-It has a job, but the housing market is still in the toilet.... so, until it recovers, we're still on the recession budget!) I'd order these. For my 3 year old. ;)

Let's see, what else...... G-man is getting his very first hair cut this weekend! Can you believe it? I want to take some pics of the kiddos in their Easter clothes so I can whip up a quick Semi-Homemade Easter card with a pic of them. Any cute Easter pic ideas? Anyone?

Oh, and my very first 5k is just 3 days away!!! OMG! I jogged outside on Sunday for the first time in.... let's just call it 2 yrs. SO much harder than on my treadmill. Y'all, I wasn't cut out for outdoor jogging. As my girl Sasha says... I'm outdoorsy in that I like getting drunk on patios. Word.

Giveaways... and that's all I got!

Y'all, for some reason, I'm just exhausted. (I know, it probably has nothing to do with the 2 energetic kiddos, the fast-paced career, and all the extracurricular things that always seem to be going on.) But... since my energy level is struggling, I just thought I'd pass on some super fun giveaways to y'all!

1. Monogram Chick is giving away a cosmetic bag in black with YOUR monogram or name! Ends 3/27.

2. Lauren Nicole Gifts is giving away this new Lily Pulitzer Puddle Jumper Tote! Ends 4/3.

3. Another Hanky Panky giveaway! ;) They're all the rage... I hope I win! Ends 3/28.

4. This one is really exciting.... a blog makeover giveaway! (I'm SUCH a novice blogger... I'd love this!)

Okay, I'm off to OK this weekend for my sister's semi-homemade baby shower. I'll update y'all in a few days!