Thursday, March 17, 2011

Book Swap

I had the pleasure of meeting Myriah Mae during the headband swap. She was my lovely partner. Anywho, she is hosting a book swap over on her blog. Check it out here!

She is fab and this sounds like a great idea. You don't even have to buy a book. Just send whatever you've just finished reading to your partner. Everyone loves a good book, right? I sure do!

So, here's what's on my reading list:


Wicked was one of my most favorite books. I heart Gregory Maguire. And I'd like to go to Oz. Sorry, sidetrack.


Don't make fun, ok?! I'm a total sucker for a good love- I want to suck your blood story. And I refuse to admit that I've seen the movie seven times. Moving on....

And I miss weddings. So yea. Please don't judge me. And since the hubby isn't home, I can watch David Tutera's show for 8 hours straight on a Sunday. I have a problem.



If you are my swap partner, I promise I want give you Twilight. That is, unless you are team Edward. Then maybe I can be so inclined to share! :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker...

Ok, ok, I'm one out of three of those things. Close right? :)

Do you remember my muy delisioso caramel rum sauce? Well, I have the absolute joy and pleasure of contributing it to the #operationLayla bake sale today.

I know you are thinking, "Megan, this makes me DROOL." Well good. Mission accomplished. Now bid, yo! It's for an awesome cause and an awesome friend. It's just awesome. So there.

Also, there are some dreamy items in the bake sale. I want one of everything please.

Enjoy and happy bidding!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Book Wreath DIY

I know you are probably thinking, "a DIY, really Megan"? Yup! And I didn't break anything! I had a minor setback with the glue gun and a kitten, but that's not what's important. What is important is that today I have the pleasure of guest posting for Caroline while she is on vacay! Head on over to here and check it out. I will inform you though that my walls are fuguly. Don't judge.



Hope you enjoy!

#OperationLayla

My husband isn't into blogging really, but he gets that I love it. At first when I would say things such as my "friend" so and so from Twitter or blogging, he thought that was weird. Then, once he got to know some of the folks from reading their blogs or meeting them in person, he understood. He told me that he understands that just because we may have never met, we are still friends.

With that being said, please allow me to introduce you to Layla. Layla is a dear woman that I have the pleasure of calling a friend. You may have noticed on my sidebar that I have a donation button for #OperationLayla. And you may furthermore be wondering what the heck is that all about? Well, I'll tell ya.

"One month after her 30th birthday, Layla was diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer (1A Adenocarcinoma). She was extraordinarily lucky that it was caught early, and was able to have a simple surgery to remove the cancerous cells. Three years later, Layla had been in horrible pain that affected nearly every aspect of her life. Temporarily uninsured due to a job change, she paid out of pocket last October to go to the doctor and make sure that the cancer had not returned. Thankfully, it had not. However, her doctor believes that she has pelvic adhesions and Endometriosis due to the previous surgery, but it can not be diagnosed until an additional surgery (laparoscopy) is performed. The doctor also found out that Layla has cervical stenosis, which basically means her cervix has completely shut due to the scar tissue from the previous surgery. These issues make her miserable most of the time, making simple things like going to the bathroom and menstruation horribly painful, and sexual intercourse impossible. He stated that if she did want to have children one day, even sperm could not pass through her cervix, and she would have to have intrauterine insemination. The doctor wanted to schedule surgery as soon as the insurance at her new job went into effect. Her company fired her the day her insurance became valid, ten days before Christmas, plainly stating that it was because of her health issues.


Fortunately, she was able to get on her husband’s insurance, which went into effect on February 1st. As soon as she could, Layla scheduled surgery for March 22nd. Then her insurance company dropped a bomb: because she had gone to the doctor (even as a self pay patient) within a three month period prior to her enrollment date, they were considering her health issues to be a pre-existing condition, and would not insure any doctor visits, medication, or surgery for them for 388 days.

388 days is a long time to wait when you are in near constant pain and can’t work. The sooner Layla can have this surgery, the sooner she can return to work (hopefully with a nicer company!) and start living her life again. Her doctor has been nice enough to work out a deal with her, decreasing the amount of her surgery to $4,000, the cost of the anesthesia to $500, with additional fees for biopsies of removed tissue to be determined, if Layla can pay as a cash patient.

The problem is, Layla is unemployed due to this, has used her savings to pay for living expenses and medical bills, and has been denied loans for the surgery because of her unemployment status. She does not have a close family, so she can’t ask them for help. Surgery is scheduled for March 22nd, and Layla and her husband are still trying to secure a loan through several banks."

So how can you help? Spread the word! Plus, March is endrometriosis awareness month, so this cause hits right at home!

We are doing an online bake sale, an ebay auction, and taking donations. She is a great person, full of love and joy and she totally deserves this.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Craftiness at it's finest

I love making new friends. I really really do. This is Carly. She's my new pal. I think she's fab. Anywho, I'm way late to the party, but we participated in an awesome Valentine's Day craft swap.

becky farleys craft blog

Obviously from the name of the swap you can tell it was for Valentine's Day. Which was February. It's March. I'm wayyyyyy behind. I blame the deployment and my sadness and the craptastic weather. Yup, that's it. I'm not lazy. :)

Back to the point of this post. If you're still reading, thank you. I go off topic a lot. My bad.

I joined this swap because I'm new to the crafty world. I don't have an Etsy shop or anything, but I do sometimes see items and think, "you know what Megan, you can make that!" Sometimes I am triumphiant. Sometimes I fail miserably. But, at least I tried right?

Carly was the brave soul that was my partner. I gave her a heart garland (here is a tutorial), since she loves hearts. And she gave me this!

Please disregard the uneven paint job, m'kay?! Thanks.

How unbelievably cute is this?! Carly is the best. This makes me so happy and I have it hanging in my kitchen for all to see!

And this is the card. It makes me insanely happy as well. I love it dearly.

I can't remember if I gave her a card. :/ It's been a long month.

She has inspired me to try to be more crafty. Fingers crossed folks. Fingers crossed.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Papa Couture Giveaway via Fantabulously Frugal

Hi folks!

As some of you know, I'm a contributor for a super fabulous blog called Fantabulously Frugal. Love it!

Anywho, I'm provided with awesome opportunities and this review/ giveaway is just one example. Here is the post, but you have to go to the site to enter. Good luck!

I love purses and handbags. What woman doesn’t, right? I also have a love affair with prints, colors, and patterns. So when asked to do a review for Papa Couture, I jumped at the chance. Terry, the brains behind Papa Couture, began creating diaper bags, quilts, handbags, and accessories on Etsy as Grandpa’s Rags & Bags. As his shop took off, he began to focus primarily on handbags and Papa Couture was created. I highly recommend browsing the site. There are a lot of great handbags in a wide variety of sizes, patterns, and colors.


I reviewed the cross body mini shoulder bag in Paradise Garden periwinkle and have to tell you, it is even more pretty than the picture.



The inside of the bag has polka dots, which are my favorite things in the world, so that was an added surprise. The quality of this bag is fantastic. I am rough on bags, which is why I usually go through them quickly. This bag is a lot sturdier than I expected. And it is very roomy! It currently holds my wallet, my keys, my coin purse, my lip gloss, my work ID, gum, and a granola bar. I’m sure I could fit more in there too.


I also like that strap on the bag is adjustable. As it came it is the perfect length, as I can just reach to my side and grab my keys out of it. However, if you want to wear it shorter or longer, that option is definitely available. And it is really comfortable too. I sometimes hate wearing shoulder bags as they dig or pinch my shoulders, but this one doesn’t. I have been nothing but pleased as punch with this bag and have already received some compliments on it.

Now, I bet you are thinking, “Gee, I would love a bag.” Well, Terry was kind enough to offer the purse below to one of our lovely readers.





Good luck! Make sure you go to the post of FF's site to enter via the Google form!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Tickle Me Tuesday

Yes Teacher Crafts

It's another round of Tickle Me Tuesdays folks! So, without further ado, what has been tickling my fancy this week?





Notice a common theme? I can't wait for warm weather.