JibJab Clips

Have you visited JibJab? It's a site sponsored by Office Max which allows you to upload your own families and friends' faces and make video clips! Once you create your clip, you can send it as a an email, or you can get the code and post it on your blog. So fun! And, it's easy. They walk you through the process, baby step by baby step. Try it and spread the Christmas cheer! Plus, later they will have other holidays, so keep checking back to JibJab for more fun!

Blog Backgrounds with a Vintage Feel

Paisley Cat Scraps has loads of

backgrounds,

headers

tutorials

and links to other blog help pages.

I like this link to Free Vintage Clip Art

You can visit her site by clicking on the button below.

Welcome to my Blog

I just found this UK artist who offers free blog headers and matching backgrounds. It may not fit everyone's taste, but if you like cutsie, go check it out.

http://bloggerblogbackgrounds.blogspot.com/

Let it Snow !!!

Want to add some snow flurries to your blog? I found a great blog-tip at Butterfly Girl MS that will show you how! Just click here and Let It Snow!!!

Blog of Inspiration: Once Upon A Holiday

For those of us who celebrate Christmas the countdown began the day after Thanksgiving. For Amy at Once Upon A Holiday the countdown for Christmas 2009 began on December 26, 2008.

Amy loves Christmas and the holidays so much she dedicated an entire blog to showing you how you can "Make Everyday Like Christmas!"

Lots of people love Christmas. However, their Christmas participation usually just includes the month of December. Why do you love Christmas so much that you decided to dedicate a yearlong blog to the holiday?

Because Christmas, for me, is the happiest time of the year. I am not just talking about the day but about the whole season. Everyone is so cheerful and full of generosity. It seems that just for a moment in time the world really is a better place and people love each other, differences put a side! Think about the war… the value of Christmas made fighting cease and both sides came together to celebrate like brothers.

No matter whether you believe Christmas is the King’s birthday or a commercially driven holiday, I think it is a powerful thing meant not to drive people away but to bring them together.

I made it all year long to stretch out some of the holiday cheer. I know whenever I a feeling down just about anything Christmas can bring me back up again. That is what I want my blog to be; a tool not only for helping to plan your festivities but a dose of happiness too.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition? cookie? movie?

That is a very good and hard question… I have a million little traditions! Probably it would be going light looking after the Christmas Eve service. We always scout out new areas to check out but seem to return to our favourites! There is something magical about all the Christmas light on Christmas Eve, an excitement in the air, I just love it!

My favorite cookie is the Chocolate Crackles and movie - 100% without a doubt - Elf!!! It is sooo funny and shows such Christmas cheer!

Where do you get your inspiration for your holiday posts?

Everywhere… really – at the risk of seeming corny; Christmas is all around us!
There are also so many different aspects of Christmas that it is a seemingly endless list of things to write about!

Amy's house last Christmas.

This year Christmas spending is going to be tight for a lot of families because of the economy. What are some things families can do to still have a great budget-friendly Christmas?

I can’t stress this enough; handmade Christmas gifts are the most thoughtful and meaningful gifts! Everyone has a talent and no two peoples are the same, so be creative!


Also start early – Shop the sales!!!


In our family we draw names for the siblings (and there is a $50 dollar limit) we do this in the spring so we have a ton of time to find the perfect gift! If you know who you are buying for early you can listen to all the little things they need / want or simply comment on. I keep a journal of random thoughts and gift ideas for each person I buy for, that way I’m not scrambling to remember what they had said months later!

A holiday planter Amy and her mother made togther.

When readers visit your blog what three posts are MUST reads?

Outdoor Christmas Lights - will definitely get readers with some shock value!
Eating Tips for the Holidays - that is just good humor!
The Christmas Crackle Cookie Recipe – one of my all time favorites!

Crackle Cookie

What are some ways that families can continue the holiday spirit and season past December 26?

To continue the holiday spirit, I like to plan for next year's Christmas shopping, keeping a journal of decor, menu & gift ideas. Shop the boxing week sales for Christmas themed gifts for next year(i.e. Christmas pajamas are a quarter of the cost!) I also buy my Christmas cards and wrapping paper during boxing week.


But I love to listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies all through the year! I find they are an instant pick me up! But with that being said I did walk down the aisle to Michael W. Smith's -Audrey's Gift from his Christmas album... and my wedding was in June. I think that might classify me as a Christmas nut! :)

If you're looking for some great ways to have a fabulous holiday season and a year full of the holiday spirit head on over to Once Upon A Holiday! That Amy...I love the way she blogs!

You win some, You loose some

Have you ever changed your blog background and lost some of your sidebar widgets? You are not alone. This happens all the time. There are a few ways to change your background.

Simple- The blog designer gives you a short code that you add to a HTML Widget Box on your sidebar. Your background changes but everything else stays put, you will not loose any widgets.

More Complex- The blog designer gives you directions on how to change your Main HTML or replace your Main HTML. This allows the designer to add more things to your blog for you, but the danger is that you may loose some of your widgets (very annoying).

I just checked out this blog:

She has Simple Backgrounds and More Complex layouts!

I like how she spells out each step in the process. Saving you from loosing any widgets permanently.

You should go visit her site, everything is free :)

A Day In The Life

We all have moments we want to treasure. We want to use our later years to look back on our days and bring back all the good "stuff". Our blogs can help us do that.

As a Mom of young children, my days are filled with laundry, meals, running errands, sports practices, more laundry, cleaning, kids homework, the occasional blog post, and more laundry. You get the idea...

My mother, a wise and talented woman (Hi Ma!), once told me to ENJOY all this. She even said I should take pictures of it. What? Pictures of my over-flowing hampers? Yes, she said. Take a picture.

She was right. I will be a Mom of teenagers soon enough. Just around that corner is Grandmom! I will miss this chaos and hub-bub one day. One day I will look back on this busy season and be a little sad. One day.

But, today, I will take pictures of my over-flowing laundry hamper. And my sink with the breakfast dishes crusting over. And my kids toys scattered underfoot. And my children playing and smiling and being little. Because one day, I will not have this. Today, I do.

So my challenge to you today, dear blogging friends, is to document what your day is like. Choose a day (really soon) and take a picture every hour. Document what you are doing, where you are, or how you feel about it. One day we'll look back and smile.

Tired of the Scrapbook Look?

I found a new site today. It runs a bit differently then other sites. It takes more work on your part to install your background... but I think it is well worth the effort. It's called Free Backgrounds- clever, right? You can find it here. It will explain the installing process and then lead you to her Photobucket account.

This is the background I liked :) Here is one for a guy.

And one for an agoraphobic. jk;)

I like the idea of the site. There are no extra links on the backgrounds that lead you back to her site (sometimes those really bug me). And with the information the site teaches you, you can use ANY picture as your background. I'll have to do another post on that later.

Yet, Another Background Site to Check Out

http://scrap-e-blog.blogspot.com/

winner winner c h i c k e n d i n n e r

Thank you all for entering to win a gift from Pocket Full of Posies or functionalWOOD. We had a great response. This morning two winners were chosen at random and without further adieu...

The winner of the Pocketfull of Posies, Weekly Pocket System is:

Shelly Morris

and

The winner of the functionalWOOD, cutting board is:

Mary Glidden

Congratulations to both of you! Will you please email me at ilovethewaysheblogs@gmail.com so I can send your information to our sponsoring companies.

But the fun doesn't end there. If you are feeling a need for something free then check out these sites. They offer free backgrounds:)

Photo Editing

Where do you EDIT your photos?

Where do you brighten them and add text??

I just got word of a new site. Aviary, do you use it?

• I love this site because you don't need to download any software.
• It has more features for photo editing then any site I've seen!!
• It loads fast and can be used for free.

But you know what they say, right? If it's too good to be true it probably is.

When I used this site I found that they save a watermark on your photo. The watermark is just a light image of their name on your photo. You could pay for a subscription, and I must admit the price is reasonable. And if you do have a subscription then you can save your photos without watermarks. I think it is a good substitute for Photo Shop. But...

I still prefer Picnik. Go there. It's free and makes me happy:)

Don't forget to enter the give-away below.

Our Welcome Back Give-Away!

We are back with a give-away! I would like to introduce you to two companies. The first of which is called Pocket Full of Posies, Perfect Pocket Meal Planning.

They sell "a unique pocket meal planning system that is designed to save you time and money." Which is wonderfully useful for busy families.

I can't tell you how many times I've sat down to plan the meals for the week only to give up and buy what ever I find at the grocery store. This system gives you a dinner plan for each day of the week or month, depending on which package you buy. Also on the cards are the recipes and a shopping list! Look how cute the magnetic pockets are:

And now readers of I LOVE THE WAY SHE BLOGS can enter to win this Weekly Pocket Package:

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Our second company is Functional Wood, a wonderful, new etsy shop that specializes in handcrafted wood furniture and household items.

But just because their shop is new doesn't mean that they are new to woodworking; "Skilled craftsman, college educated, over 8 years experience. Enjoy creating functionalWOOD pieces in many styles, from traditional to modern and everything in between."

Check out their handcrafted coffee table:

And now readers of I LOVE THE WAY SHE BLOGS have a chance to win one of functionalWood's gorgeous butcher blocks. There is something about using a butcher block that makes you feel like a real chef; am I right?

So, now for the contest details.

• To enter to win one of the items listed above, become a follower of I LOVE THE WAY SHE BLOGS, and leave a comment to this post with your first and last name (or the first and last name you wish you had) letting me know you are a follower.

Would you like another entry?

• Blog about our give-away and get (3 more entries) leave a comment letting me know you did, with a link to your blog.

• Visit Pocket Full of Posies and get (1 more entry) leave a comment letting me know you did, and tell us what you thought.

• Visit functionalWood and get (1 more entry) leave a comment letting me know you did, and tell us what you thought.

That's all folks! We are so happy to be back!

PS: the contest ends at 10 PM est, November 5th.

We'll be back

Hello Everyone!

We will be back November 2nd!! In the meantime, check out the sidebar links (if you haven't already).

We plan on hosting a fun giveaway when we return. If you are interested in advertising your business for free, contact me at ilovethewaysheblogs@gmail.com.

Happy Blogging

Lilly J

Our Beautiful Blog

Maybe you noticed our new header and button combination?

It was gifted to us by:

Emyline's Flourish's specializes in one of a kind header and button combinations. Therefore, you will never see a blog with your same header (yea!!).

The Good News is that she is well priced and has impeccable taste.

The Bad(ish) News is that she is on Maternity Leave (with twins) and once her store runs out it may be quite awhile before she restocks.

go visit Emyline's Flourish's

Remembering the Quips, etc...

by Tina

I often think to myself, as a push through my day, that I have to remember that. I have to remember that my six year old said the cutest thing. I have to remember that my ten year did something all on her own, without being asked. I have to remember that my husband told me how good dinner was while he made sure the kids cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher for me.


Our blogs are all about remembering. We are documenting these little daily occurrences. I wanted to share with you my way of remembering.


I need life to be in categories, so, I think of these quips from my life in categories. "Cute Kid Quotes" and "Proud Mom Moments", for example. In blogging, I guess they are called Labels.


So a blog post might start out like: "Today Charlie said the funniest thing..." and then it would include a picture of her with a big goofy smile. Or, a picture of my loaded dishwasher and a little blurb about how the kids are growing and helping more.


Find the little moments in your life and snap a picture. That way, when you see the photo, you might more easily remember the reason for taking it. Blog about these little moments and they will become the stories that are told for generations.


Can't you hear your great-great children saying this - Way back '09, your great-great grandmother had a thing called a blog (ancient technology) and she wrote about something your great grandmother, Charlie, said when she was just six years old ....


Experience it, photograph it, blog it, remember it!