It's a Winter Wonderland in NH!

So why not have a Winter Wonderland Giveaway? Hello!

Yes, we've been hit hard with TONS of snow in my little state but I'm thinking, "it's all good". We're home, we have food, we have electricity, we have cable TV! Woo-HOO! Doesn't take much to make me happy these days and I'm sharing my Winter joy with all those who choose to see their cups as half full, and giving away a Sweet Sixteen bundle of Winter Wonderland Flannels. Twenty-two pieces in all, prints and plaids of yummy Maywood flannels that will surely chase your Winter Blues away and remind you of the beauty of this magical season.

To enter all you have to do is tell me why you love SNOW... If you hate the snow or have nothing nice to say about it well, just don't enter the giveaway. We'll have no party poopers!

Anonymous entries will be deleted. Ladies, if you don't want me to know who you are then why do you want me to send you a prize? I don't get that! If you have a no-reply, just be sure to leave an email in your comment.

To all FB followers, you can enter this giveaway even if you entered the FB giveaway, yes...there are two bundles one on FB and one here... I'm good like that.

I'll draw the winners on Friday night, after we are all shoveled out.

If we reach 100 comments on this post I'll throw in a third Sweet Sixteen Bundle of Winter Wonderland Flannels...because I think everyone secretly loves the white stuff, they just don't want to admit it!
Come out of the closet you snow lovin' folks, I know you're out there!!! Let's celebrate this Winter Wonderland! Happy Noreaster!

If you do not have an email on your blogger profile or you have a not enabled your profile and you have not left an email in your post your comment will be deleted! I wont "hunt you down" to give you a prize... sorry, not gonna happen!

Multiple posts will also be deleted.

A Table for Two, Now in Stock!

Remember this cutie? No, not me...the awesome runner!

It's called A Table for Two! It was one of my favorite Fall Market finds and they just arrived. I'm thrilled to have them in stock. You can order your copy HERE!

I love this one, and I know you will too!!

Birds of a Feather

We flock together!
Last night I met my friend Lynn at Gibbit Hill for our post holiday dinner. With the craziness of the holidays we decided we'd get together after things had settled down and we could enjoy each other's company without having to rush because we had something to do.
Lynn and I met online, blogging. She paints and loves primitives, and although we live in different states we're only an hour's drive from each other. You gotta love that.
I'm working on my commitments folks, making time for myself, check!
Hope your weekend is going well and that you too are making time to celebrate your life. Have fun!

Time to Pay the Piper!

According to freedictionary.com this means:

to accept the unpleasant results of something you have done, pay the price.

According to me it simply means: OWN IT!

Yep, I went to TX where my Mom waited for me frying pan in hand and pork in the oven... If you've ever had Puertorrican food you know exactly what I'm talking about and you are just grinning. If you have never had Puertorrican food, well, I don't know why on earth you would be fat, LOL! Yeah, it's bad for you. HAHAHA.

After only one week in TX, and shortly before Christmas my subconscious was already screaming and saying, "STOP! STOP!" but my Mom continued to pull out favorites from her recipe bank and well, you know what they say, "You don't eat this every day..." Or is it just my Mom that says that? HMMM. I hope not, LOL! Well, let's just say that when I had the first nightmare, that I had gained TEN pounds, I started to think maybe it was time to start eating out. You know it's bad when Wendy's is the low cal option... but being the good daughter that I am, I ate all of my Mom's food, and then some of my Sister's Lasagna, (are you seeing a pattern here? Do I have a crappy support system or what? LOL!) and pretended I was not being BAD, really BAD!

As soon as I got home, knowing that the day of atonement was fast approaching (Ahem, can you say personal trainer?), I dusted off the Nutrasystem boxes and and thawed out the frozen veggies, I hooked up the H2O I.V. and prayed for a miracle.

God, knowing I am good, granted me a reprieve and just five days after arriving home I am happy to report that I held steady. Weight loss zero, weight gain ZERO! Hello! (No, I am not telling her how I paid the piper, I did my time and I am now back on track. Hooray!

Have you paid the piper yet?

Resolutions

I love New Year's day. I feel as if I have been given a new opportunity to set my life back on the path that I strayed from somewhere along the way. I find myself cutting myself some slack, giving myself a break so to speak. And once again trying to commit to doing right, by and to myself.I have to admit that every year I make a list of things I want to accomplish. Not unlike half the people in the USA, I too make Resolutions. A resolutions is no different from a commitment but we don't call it a commitment because then it would imply that we MUST accomplish this goal and not that we "intend" on accomplishing this goal. A Resolution is an intent, a Commitment is a commitment, no way around it. Intend and commit?

Not the same thing.

So this year I will not resolve but I will Commit to doing right by Me, and for Me. I will Commit to cutting myself some slack, I will commit to being a Mom AND a woman, I will commit to setting aside time for Myself, regardless of the chaos in my life. I will commit to starting my journey back to Myself. I will commit to help myself as much as I help others.

There, I said it. I wrote it, I own it! For some reason I am thinking that Resolving to lose 100 pounds sounded easier than my short list but hey, this year I'm going all out. At 45 it's time to step it up and Go Big.

Now if I could only find my Big Girl undies I might feel more confident... wish me luck and tell me what you are ready to commit to. Happy New Year!

The Mercado Family, and then some

My Family. (L-R, F-B)Mom & Dad, Me, GP, TChoco (sister), Harvey (brother), TSandy (sister), Nyshma (Niece) & Ryan (soon to be Nephew)
GP and I are finally back home after celebrating Christmas with my extended family. It had been over ten years since I had seen my brother and about three since I had seen my parents, so we had some catching up to do. My niece who just recently relocated to NH showed up on Christmas Eve with her fiance and made my sister's wishes come true. It would have been her first Christmas without her baby (who is now a little grown up, ahem!), but thanks to some awesome planning (Nyshma's) and a sneaky cohort (TChoco) was there on schedule in time for the pernil (that's the official Puertorrican holiday feast roast) prepared by grandma. Woo-HOO!
My parents have been married 48 years and I feel so lucky to have been there to celebrate their Anniversary too. Time flies, doesn't it? 48 years, Hello!
My heart is happy and I feel blessed to have spent the holidays with my family. It's hard to coordinate travel and lodging for nine but when it happens, it's just awesome.

It was hard to say goodbye but I so missed being home. There is no place like home and this was my second holiday away from home. I think I am understanding where the phrase "there is no place like home for the Holidays" comes from. I love my family and I will miss them dearly but I am happy to be home, even if it's not quite as toasty as TX...

Hope your holidays were spent with those you love, and that the New Year brings you health, happiness, love and laughter. Happy New Year!!!

The Eleventh Hour

I should have been packing, wrapping things up and getting ready for our trip to TX, but what was I doing? Cutting these kits. I am so bad. I had to finish cutting them, I had to. I wanted to take one with me to make while I was away. LOL! See? I told you I had a good reason for not packing! Now I am off to take the Pepperdog to the Spa (well nobody likes traveling with a smelly dog!) and afterwards, I will get back to work. I'll fill orders and get them to the PO, run errands and THEN start packing.
So much to do, so little time... but I'm happy to have this cutie to come along with me. He's been on my list all year, and I finally cut the kits...at the eleventh hour. Talk about cutting it close, eh? LOL!
You need a great take along project too? I have one of these left and you still have time to get it in today's mail bag. Hurry! =)
You can buy the Joy kits here!