I'm doing a little happy dance for Kristin over at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia!

She just heard she is going to be featured in Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publication...

Kitchen & Bath Makeovers!

Have you seen her kitchen???

Really, if you have not...you have to. Right.now!

I'm even giving you a little preview below...but you can get all the details on her blog.

I was going from blog to blog a few months ago, and stumbled on her kitchen redo...and about fell off my chair. I could not believe the kitchen she has now started out so 'builder basic'. Since then her blog has become one of my favorites, I am always checking in to see what she is up to.

The space was done on a budget...and was totally DIY...well, she had a little help from a painter friend, but who can blame her! Look at all those cabinets! It took a little time, as all good DIY projects seem to. But, she did it a step at a time and the space has evolved into an elegant, comfortable space.

Can you even believe this gorgeous space...

 started out like this????

And she didn't get new cabinets...nope...she used what she had an made them better.

Not just better...incredible!

Seriously, Kristin had a vision...and it was perfectly executed.

I have seen a good make-over or two, but the change in this one is fantastic!

I am in love with Meadowbrook Farm.



Seriously.

I want to move there.

Or at least swing by the next time I am anywere within a 5 hour radius. Do you think Mr & Mrs. Meadowbrook would mind if they came home one day and I was sitting in that white rocking chair? Surely they have a guest room...I would promise to keep it tidy and even cook dinner and do the dishes while I am there.

Teresa, the lovely lady that gets the pleasure of calling Meadowbrook Farm "home" has to be one of the luckiest ladies on the planet.

Not only does she get to live in one of the cutest houes I have ever seen...

She gets to enjoy a view like this...

Only hours left to get in on this giveaway, girls!

My friend Anita, from the Iowa Junk Gypsies, is doing a fabulous giveaway!

For the love of all things French...get over there and leave your comment to enter!

one. Entre Nous - A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl

two. Wandering Paris- vocab and guide book in one

three. TheLittle French ABC Coloring Book (training them young is best:)

four. Say it in French - a travel phrase book

five. Madeleine Peyroux- The Perfect World CD

six. Lu Petit Beurre notepad ( these butter cookies are awesome)

seven. Sabre bottle opener and cheese knife

Did you know Anita is fluent in French....and she lived in France...and she teaches French, too! She is hosting a trip to Paris in April! I am hoping to tag along with her...but if you want in, click on the link under her header for more info!

Now click on over and check out her blog...leave a comment and you just might win her bag of goodies!

~ I'm blushing! ~

Janis, at White Alder Home tagged me with a Kreativ Blogger Award!

Wow!...thanks so much for thinking of little 'ol me and my take on life in blogland!

So here's my checklist of what I have to do to accept this most gracious award:

1. Thank the person who nominated me for the award.
 check

2. Link to the person who nominated me
 check, check

3. List 7 things people may not know about me
 I'm not sure there are 7 interesting things about me!

4. Nominate 7 creative bloggers, post their links and leave a comment on each
 I love them all...I have to pick just 7??

So here it goes...7 facts about yours truly...

~*~

ONE. I am ambidextrous. I use both my left and right hand for different tasks. That must explain why I can never make up my mind on anything. My brain is totally mixed up!

TWO. I need to multi-task at all times. It is impossible for me to sit and watch TV without doing something else. Usually, I am doing laundry, reading and magazine and planning my menu for the week...all while not missing a moment of my favorite shows. It drives my husband crazy.

THREE. My parents took me on my first trip to Europe when I was 9 years old. They wanted me to see how other parts of the world lived, and decided we would take the train into Czechslovakia. There is a story between the idea to go there and the end, but lets just say one little girl almost didn't make it out of that country. My Dad ended up having to pay off the guards on the train to let me go back into Germany. The guards were trying to take me away - saying I wasn't their daughter. I guess it was all about lining their pockets with a little extra cash. My mom was freaking out at that moment...but there were many, many times she brought this up during my angst-ridden teenage years. She would tell me to straighten up or we would take a little "trip"...oh, she's always a comedian!

FOUR. I love to do laundry. Weird, I know. It is my favorite household task. It must be the part of me that likes to have everything neat and orderly. I could do it every day and never get tired of it.

FIVE. I have never had a drop of coffee in my life. I love the smell, but will not even try a single sip. I just know I would hate it. People are always amazed at that for some reason.

SIX. I have a cousin that went to school with someone we all now know as 'Princess Diana'...and yes, I am being completely serious. They were friends and she attended her wedding, and later her funeral. I will sum it up like this...one side of our family did well in business and lives in Brentwood, CA...my Dad decided to "break out" on his own and move to a farm in rural IL. Needless to say we were not the side that did well enough to roll with the Royals. That is fine with me, to this day I can't figure out what all the forks are for on a formal place setting.

SEVEN. I was married in Las Vegas. Most people that know me have to pick up their jaw about now. For as much as I love all things beautiful, I never, even as a child, dreamed of the typical wedding...and I hate being the center of attention. I am a low-key kinda girl. A few members of our family and friends flew out for 3 days of festivities, and it was awesome! It is possible to have a beautiful wedding at a resort in Vegas...and no we did not use a drive-thru or an Elvis impersonator. 10 1/2 years later we are blisfully happy.

Whew! That was tough...I am a rather boring person, you know.

So, here are the 7 of my very favorite ladies in blogland. If your name is on my list...consider yourself tagged!

Andrea @ Faded Plains
(I am stalking her for her old truck)

Trina @ A Country Farmhouse
(Have you seen her farmhouse reno? WOW is all I can say...)

Holly @ In the Fun Lane
(She lives an all-around fabulous life.)

Jen @ Sanctuary Arts
(Uber-talented - this girl can craft like no one else!)

Martha @ Butterflies & Dragonflies
(One of the sweetest girls in blogland, love her!)

Anita @ Iowa Junk Gypsies
(She is hosting a trip to Paris, wanna go?)

Shannan @ Flower Patch Farmgirl
(She needs to bottle and sell that wit she has - I love reading her posts!)

I was sad to hear Kasey is bidding her online store, Lola B's Boutique adieux.

Kasey and I met a couple of years ago at the show where I sell in the summer months. She has a good soul. And there is nothing better than a girl that has a sharp eye for all things vintage!

So pay her a little visit, leave her a kind word or two...and you may even be one of 3 lucky people to win some of her gorgeous boutique goodies!

As a business owner, I know how hard it can be to keep up with...well...everything! To constantly stay fresh, and on top of what is new and exciting. That is a full time job itself. So I cannot help but applaud her. This door is closing, at least for a little while, but I know many more are going to open up for her.

She is amazingly talented...so I know wonderful things are just around the corner for her!

Wish her well...and good luck...if you win...let me know what loveliness was in the box!

I have a love-hate relationship with Ikea. I love their vignettes as you walk through the store. I love how their furnishings look in a photo. I love their prices. But the quality...not so much. But today I have a little restored love for Ikea...I this found on the Ikea Sweden's website...

Everyday people can post photos of how they decorate for the season. Some info may have been lost in translation, but I believe the idea was to showcase how Ikea plays a part in your Holiday decor. These are some of my favorites...and now I think I am heading to my closest Ikea to see what I can find to make my home look this fabulous!

Enjoy...

I am soooo making a mirror like this for my hallway. Love it.

I am flippin' out, girls! In a good way...because I am crazy in love with this bedroom from one of my favortite blogs. Just a little eye candy from me to you...courtsey of Bird Tweets.

Be sure to hop over and take a peek for more pictures...it is fabulous beyond words! These 3 crazy ladies are amazingly talented!