The Circus is Coming!

This contest is CLOSED!  Thanks to all who entered!  The winner is :: ALISON who said:
"I think Madeline would absolutely love this circus. She loves animals, especially elephants and tigers. I already "like" your facebook page, so I shared the link and told people to check out the link."
Allison, drop me a line at katie@cards-by-katie.com with your address so I can get the vouchers mailed to you!

The circus is coming! The circus is coming! And you can win FREE tickets! There are several ways to get FREE tickets, with a giveaway right here on our blog OR by donating blood.

From the Press Release: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents BARNUM 200SM rolls into the U.S. Bank Arena for 14 fantastic performances from March 11 to 20. This year’s show features the Flying Caceres as they attempt to complete the elusive quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze; the Puyang troupe from China will dazzle with a stunning display of dexterity as they bounce, flip, and twirl to new heights on a two-tiered trampoline; the impossible contortions of the body benders who fit three humans in a cube the size of a milk crate; the Duo Fusion hand balancers, a married pair of performers with a twist: the wife does the heavy lifting.

Arrive an hour before show time for the All Access Pre-show – FREE to all ticket holders – and meet performers and animals, and learn circus skills before the show even starts!
Tickets are available at the U.S. Bank Arena Box Office, at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (513) 562-4949. For group sales, call (513) 421-4111 x136.

HOW TO GET A FREE TICKET BY DONATING BLOOD:
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® and Hoxworth Blood Center are encouraging blood donations in an effort to prevent further blood shortages in the Queen City.
The first 250 people who donate a pint of blood at the fifth annual Ringling Bros. Blood Drive on Saturday, Feb. 26 will receive a red clown nose and one complimentary pass good to any performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents BARNUM 200SM when it comes to U.S. Bank Arena March 11th to 20th. Additionally one of the world famous Ringling Bros. clowns will be performing hilarious hijinx at Hoxworth’s Ft. Mitchell location, 2220 Grandview Drive, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Visit www.hoxworth.org for more details!

HOW TO WIN A FAMILY FOUR PACK ON THE LITTLE THINGS:
I’m giving away a family four pack of tickets for the Circus, the winner will be mailed vouchers to take to the Arena and exchange for tickets to the show of their choice. This contest is a quick one, because the Circus will be here before we know it, so be sure to enter right away and tell all of your friends!

Here’s how to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling me why you want to win these tickets!
2. Head over to the little things facebook page and click on “like”. If you already “like” us then suggest the page to your friends! Leave a comment below telling me that you did this.
3. Spread the word about this contest, and then leave a comment telling me how you got the word out.

THREE ways to enter! Wow! Good Luck! The winner will be chosen on Monday, February 28th at 1pm using random.org (be sure to leave contact information). The vouchers will then be mailed to the winner.

Disclaimer: My family was also given tickets to go see the circus as a part of this promotion.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama:  A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama:  A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

spend a weekend resting, relaxing & recharging

we live in a very fast paced world.  we are constantly on the go..school, extracurriculars, appointments, errands, meetings, commitments, responsibilities.  and when we are home we are rarely relaxed, there's always some chore that needs tending to, homework to be done, bills to be paid, and on and on.  you get my drift.  you probably live like this as well.  sometimes it all overwhelms me, and i feel like our family needs a break.  so every so often we spend a weekend relaxing as a family.  we are lucky enough to be able to actually escape our house and recharge the batteries at a nearby cabin, but even if you don't have somewhere to run away to, you can always spend a weekend at home relaxing.  yes.  it can be done.  if you follow a few simple guidelines.

the first thing you need to do is UNPLUG!  turn off the cell phones, computers, ipods, etc.  these are all distractions.  the next thing to do is to think about things you WANT to do on this weekend.  not things you HAVE to do, but things you never seem to have the time to do.  when we go away for the weekend it includes some of the following, which help us focus on our family.  so not only are we unwinding, we are spending quality time together, and without the distractions of our everyday world we are able to listen closely, be present and just have fun.  an occasional escape from reality is good for everyone's well-being, even if that escape is in your own backyard.

some ideas for resting, relaxing & recharging:

take a walk in the woods.  it's not for everyone, but we certainly find it peaceful & calming. 

do i need to explain this one? 

i find that a fire helps us relax...it's mesmerizing 

art activities for the children, even if it is just crayons and paper...drawing can be a fun activity for the whole family. 

i'm a big fan of carry out or pre-made meals when we are spending a weekend relaxing.   

i'm always carrying around yarn for a crocheting project.   

cookies, they make everyone happy! 

a good book, i'm finding it harder and harder to find time to finish books, so when we spend a weekend recharging you will probably find a book in my hands. 

leaving the schedule behind leaves plenty of time for board games galore! 

family movies + popcorn = the perfect time for cuddles

valentine celebrations

we are celebrating valentine's day family-style today.  don't worry, we had a date night to celebrate as well.  but the kids get so excited about this holiday that we have to have some festivities at home for them as well.  i made some tasty cupcakes (using recipes from http://www.justjennrecipes.com/ for brown sugar cupcakes & vanilla buttercream frosting ~ i am falling in love with jenn's website!).  nothing says celebrate like cupcakes!

then i pulled together some art supplies for a tradition we started two years ago, when sam looked like this (see picture below).  we use all kinds of fun craft materials to make valentines for each other, for loved ones, and teachers.  it's always a fun time.

max worked hard on writing his letters on his valentines.

and ella made a beautiful box to take to school for her valentines.

i'm not sure how she came to be in 2nd grade, she has grown up too fast.

and while we all had fun and worked on valentine crafts our dedicated daddy spent the entire day working on the taxes. 

and now, it's time to get our jammies on and read some bedtime stories, starting with one of our favorite valentine stories.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama: - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama:   A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

guess who's coming to town...

one of my favorite bloggers is coming to town to promote her new book (The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - A Love Story).  the pioneer woman (and her tasty kitchen blog) are one of my new favorite places to find delicious recipes.  i've shared a few on here (muffin melts & mini cobblers to name a couple).
the pioneer woman, aka: ree drummond will be signing books at Joseph Beth Booksellers on Friday, February 18th.  i just bought my copy of her cookbook and got my "line letter" yesterday.  will you be going?  if so, look for me, amy & veronica!

crafty inheritances

my folks have been working tirelessly lately to clean out their basement.  they've unearthed quite a few treasures while cleaning, and i have benefitted.  mom decided to give me a bit of my inheritance early...four garbage bags full of yarn.  jackpot!  now i need to figure out what kinds of projects to do with all of it.  for now it is granny squares.  and dad gave found a box full of old quilt pieces.  these fabulous diamonds that just need to be put together.  i'm not sure where to go with that project just yet, so they are put aside in my own basement for now.  i'm pretty giddy about all of the projects in my future. 

ella had fun sorting through all of the yarn.  she sorted it into three bins:  cool colors, warm colors and neutral colors.

three HUGE bins of yarn!



the quilt pieces have some very old newspaper on the back of them