3 Stairs and a landing: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Gee, you think the girls like their Uncle Dave?

They made a beeline for him the second they walked in the door.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

A Little Birdie Told Me...

showed the kids were Baby is under my belly button; now they're all comparing their bellies #fb #

Brandon's awards from the Blue & Gold banquet #

@DirtyLilBlunt Wishing you a very happy birthday! #

22 Feb Art Card 1 #

22 Feb Art Card 2 #

22 Feb Art Card 3 #

@lauriepercival @Percival OMG that's so cute - i love it! #

@cksample love that face! #

Gimme! Gingers! for $10.00 + free shipping via @wootshirt #

morning from hell; poked the crap outta my finger with a safety pin #ow #fb #

Wishing you a very happy birthday, Miles! Did Pop get you a rockin' guitar yet? #happybirthdaymiles cc: @Kilted_Alex #

@marcand I'd rather look at your crack than another plumber's... ;) #

Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday Fill-in

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1. Ooooh, I am in for some real pain when this baby actually starts affecting the size of my body.

2. I'm so tired, I can't stand it!

3. How the heck did I end up with so many clothes?!

4. The library is one of my favorite places to visit.

5. I'm not a brain-dead pregnant lady, I'm not!

6. If you're gonna make a pie, it has to be good.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleep, of course, tomorrow my plans include hopefully hearing that Brandon did well in the district Pinewood Derby and Sunday, I want to have a blast at my first Girl Scouts Thinking Day celebration!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Blog Tour: The ME Project by Kathi Lipp

I've had the pleasure of meeting Kathi Lipp. It was several years ago when she was promoting her book The Husband Project. She's a funny, vivacious woman with a great sense of humor and a desire to help people make their lives all God wants them to be. Her latest book, The Me Project, allows us to focus on ourselves and rediscover the passions that God has placed in us.

[caption id="attachment_4860" align="alignleft" width="488" caption="The Me Project - 21 Days to Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
ISBN-10: 0736929665, ISBN-13: 978-0736929660
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Paperback: 224 pages
Retail: $12.99"]

[/caption]

Book Summary
(San Jose, CA) Has that rush to make (and break) New Year’s resolutions already waned? According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, taking small steps every day will not only help you stay committed to your goal, but will also help you ultimately achieve that goal when obstacles come up. Author Kathi Lipp wants you and your friends to live out those dreams—and have some fun along the way.

As women, we forget the goals and dreams of our younger years. The busyness of everyday life gets in the way. To-do lists replace goals. The Me Project provides women with fun and creative ways to bring back the sense of purpose and vitality that comes with living out the plans and dreams God has planted in our hearts. Kathi Lipp’s warm tone and laugh-out-loud humor motivates women to take daily steps toward intentional goals. The end result? We get back our lives and enjoy living in the confidence of a purposeful life in spite of our chaotic schedules.

This handy guide coaches women to do one simple thing toward achieving our goals each day for three weeks. A woman experiencing the exhilaration of a rediscovered life offers more as a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, career woman.

Finding the balance between living day-to-day with purpose while pursuing the passions God has placed in our hearts is a delicate pursuit. In this refreshing, insightful book, Kathi lays out a doable plan that makes sense and helps make our God-given dreams a reality. Never stop dreaming, because women who dare to dream do make the world a better place.

—Jean Blackmer
author of MomSense: A Common Sense Guide to Confident Mothering
Publishing Manager, MOPS International www.MOPS.org

[caption id="attachment_2861" align="alignright" width="100" caption="Kathi Lipp"]

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Author Bio
Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: www.kathilipp.com

Jump Start
Can't wait to get your copy of the book? Check out this article that Kathi wrote to help you kick-start your project - in 15 minutes!

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Score some Starbucks!
Now for the really awesome part! If you've met Kathi or ever read her blog, you know the love affair she has with Starbucks. It's the stuff of legend, y'all. Well, if you love your Starbucks half as much as Kathi loves her Starbucks, you'll love this prize! Kathy Carlton Willis Communications, the publicist for this book, is having a grand prize drawing for some Starbucks goodness.

[caption id="attachment_4864" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Deluxe Starbucks Coffee Gift Basket"]

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Deluxe Starbucks Coffee Gift Basket ($62 value)

*Three 2.5-oz. bags of Starbucks coffee (Sumatra, House Blend, and French Roast)
*Tazo black tea
*Starbucks marshmallow cocoa
*Almond roca
*Almond roca buttercrunch toffee cookies
*White chocolate and raspberry cookies
*2 Starbucks mugs
*Keepsake black bamboo basket

*Mandatory Entry*: Tell us what dreams or goals have gotten pushed aside in your life.

Extra Entries:

Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.

Follow Kathi on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.

Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.

Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.

On March 3, I'll enter a randomly-chosen commenter in the grand prize giveaway from Kathy Carlton Willis Communications! The winner will be announced on March 7. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Kathi's book as a thank-you for hosting this blog tour.
I did not receive any other compensation.

22 Feb Art Card 3

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

22 Feb Art Card 2

22 Feb Art Card 1

Brandon's awards from the Blue & Gold banquet

Scout Sunday, Marbles belt loop
Activity pins: artist, communicator, geologist, athlete, outdoorsman, sportsman
Compass point
Christmas parade, Blue and Gold

Sunday, February 20, 2011

A Little Birdie Told Me...

heading to Scout Sunday with my two scouts #fb #

Brandon carrying the Christian flag in the Scout Sunday flag ceremony #

Mrs. Hurley introducing the scouts #

Sarah in the flag ceremony for Scout Sunday (blurry) #

Frog earflap hat #

The frog hat on Sarah #

Frog earflap hat 2 #

Been trying to go to sleep for several hours; breaking out the big guns: vanilla-lavender bubble bath #fb #

was hoping to go to lunch with @marcand today, but feel icky :( #fb #

a very hearty Congratulations and *finally!* to @jennybeanses and @Melzer on their wedding today! #

My Valentine gift from @marcand - Geek Love FTW! <3 :D #fb #

@lauriepercival aw, so sweet! kissykissykissy! #

Found spare sneakers for Brandon for $7 - score! #fb #

feeling run down; would appreciate prayers that i can get everything done for MOPS tomorrow and that i can sleep well tonight #fb #

Huzzah - got the MOPS newsletter down to front and back of one page! #fb #

first time i've ever asked @marcand to go get me something to eat late at night; feel like a heel #fb #

wow, is that what a real craving is like? dang, that's scary! but this soft taco supreme is soooo good! #fb #

And now I shall pass out in a happy, gluttonous stupor #fb #

Wishing a very happy birthday to a man that shaped who I am - @levarburton; I am forever grateful for your work to promote reading. #

Bethy (5) poked her eye this morning and is still crying about it hurting; trying to decide between eye doctor or ER in the morning... #fb #

@Melzer cool - i didn't know that! i got to do that for a bit in college - fun! #

@mwsmedia huzzah! starting a game now. :D #

Owl love whoo #

Cough has come back with a vengeance; Lord, please protect the babies I loved on today #fb #

drinking warm tea like a fiend trying to fight this cough from the bad place #fb #

so worn out I'm missing family night at Sky Ranch with Brandon, a 31 party at Kristi's, and helping our pastor :( #sad #fb #

preparing cup number 2 of tension tamer tea... #

totally #want this ThinkGeek shirt #

just discovered the Plantation Mint tea I've been downing like a madwoman isn't peppermint like i thought, but spearmint #facepalm #fb #

Is it too early for April birthday wishes? I want @FakeErinMcKean's The Secret Lives of Dresses, please! #

didn't manage to get to sleep until almost 3; woke up a little after 5 with crazy stuffy nose; decongestant not helping #grr #tired #fb #

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Owl love whoo

A favorite owl in a hot pad made for me by a friend.

Let's Do 52 project week 7 themes: handmade or macro

I'm always fascinated by the weave of fabric.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Valentine gift from @marcand - Geek Love FTW!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Frog earflap hat 2

The frog hat on Sarah

Frog earflap hat

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sarah in the flag ceremony for Scout Sunday (blurry)

Mrs. Hurley introducing the scouts

Brandon carrying the Christian flag in the Scout Sunday flag ceremony

A Little Birdie Told Me...

I sure would like to know what my stomach could stomach... #fb #

@cksample someone is getting *very* close to day 365! :D #

i'm so tired of being hungry... #fb #

@marcand got a very pleasant surprise delivery today (a Chrome notebook to test) #

Bootsie got a new box #

i ventured out to walmart and survived! #lookatmego #fb #

found something to eat; Oh the bliss of not being hungry or nauseous! #fb #

it's amazing how quickly i run down... #fb #

10yo Brandon: they should make an F360 - you get in and turn it on and it does donuts (followed by fits of giggles) #fb #

bethy decided she didn't like the sparkles on her shirt so she decided to take them off - with her teeth *headdesk* #fb #

February art card 1 #

February art card 2 #

February art card 3 #

this Saturday may well kill me... #fb #

Fruit slushy - yummy, yummy! #

And now I'm wiped out - apparently I get an hour and a half... #fb #

@lauriepercival all seems to be well, except for this blasted *total* lack of energy! #

became world's best mom for making waffles for dinner to be topped with the fruit slushy i made this morning; now i'm wiped out again #fb #

Newborn earflap hat with pompon #

Anyone need a hat? #

@cksample I can't stand it anymore! Give Jackson great, big happy birthday hugs and kisses for me! #

@Percival can't wait to see the pix! when is moving day? #

i'm so tired of being cold; will it get warm soon? #fb #

Ooh, look: I made it *two* hours before I wiped out today - that's 30 more minutes! Now I'm going back to bed... #fb #

Roses, schmoses! I want an electric blanket for Valentine's Day! #fb #

nice tea with some ladies from MOPS and got to love on one of my "nephews" = a lovely afternoon #fb #

Friday, February 11, 2011

Friday Fill-in

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1. Family - the people you hate to love, lol.

2. Everyone has ups and downs.

3. Trust them when they say to sleep before the baby comes.

4. Sometimes it's really hard to see how it's for the best.

5. Parents never get a day (or night) off - encourage each other.

6. Always make sure that what you heard is really what was said.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to yet more sleep, tomorrow my plans include more things than I think I'll have the energy for and Sunday, I want to sleep all day!