My Funny Valentine---A Photo Contest

Happy Tuesday, y'all! I'm taking a break from Home Tour Tuesday this week to share something new with you. Fortunately, Miss Daphne will be holding down the HTT fort by keeping everything up and running!

You may remember this post, from a few weeks back where I briefly mentioned a Valentine's Day Photo Contest with a plethora of fabulous sponsors, co-hosted by Joni from Six Cherries on Top and yours truly. With today being the first day of February (How did that happen?), it's time to share all the nitty gritty details of our little Heart Day photo challenge.

And since I rarely ever post without at least one picture of Sweet Bean, I couldn't help but share a shot taken during last Valentine's. Y'all know me, I'm a sucker for holiday-themed photo shoots, so I can't wait to share this year's pictures with you. And since I love to tease, wait until you see GG's outfit for this year! I heart it!

Now, onto the business at hand---

Welcome to the very first My Funny Valentine, cutest couple photo contest! Joni and I are so thrilled to be hosting and can only hope that y'all are as excited as we are to get started!

But before getting into all the details of the contest, here are a few more pictures to hopefully inspire and motivate your inner photog.

And Sweet Bean's favorite...

All images via here

Once you have a photo, don't forget to come up with a catchy title, and then link up here or over at Joni's.

Not to be a fuddy duddy, but of course there has to be

• Photo must include a "couple".
• Photo must have a title.
• You can use a recent photo or an older photo, but it must be a photo either taken by you or that you have permission to use. (your photo must be an original. though it doesn't have to have been taken by you, please do not submit images from any photo sharing site, like we heart it, flickr, or google images. thank you!)
• you must have a blog to participate.
• A blog post with your photo will need to be linked to the linky to be entered into the contest.
• All blog posts must be linked back to your actual entry, NOT just to your main blog.
• Grab our button and include it in your post to link back to this contest.
• One entry per person.
• PG photos only please.
• We do have the right to delete or disqualify any entrant if we feel it doesn't follow the rules or is inappropriate.
• A "couple" can include any TWO people, pets, children or items as you feel best fits the theme of "cutest couple" for this contest.
• You can link up your photo through February 14, 2011 11:59 PM EST.
• Top 10 will be chosen and then voted on by our readers.
• 4 winners will be awarded.
• You are welcome to use photo editing software to edit your photo, but you do not have to.

To see a list of all our great contest sponsors, be sure to check out my sidebar to the left for a list of all ten contributors!

We look forward to seeing all of your wonderfully creative photos! Check back often to see all the new photos being added daily.

Good luck and happy picture-taking!

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Home Tour Tuesday---Kitchen and Recipe Share

First things first...

Whew! It's been a lot of work and countless late nights, but I'm finally ready to debut Persnickety Pages {& More}'s first-ever line of Holiday cards. While I'll continue adding to the inventory of cards throughout the week, I've got many designs ready for purchase in the form of a ready-to-send digital file or print and ship cards in two sizes, 5x7 and 4x8. For those extra picky gals that want help designing their own signature Holiday card, I'm happy to oblige with a Custom Holiday card order! And for a limited time, I'm offering all photo cards at a special, one time only, Holiday price with 10% of every order going to the Salvation Army's Angel Tree Program.

I hope you'll take a moment to swing by Persnickety and check them out, but of course, I can't mention my Holiday cards without giving you a mini preview here!

{This is Laura's custom Holiday card! Doesn't she have an adorable family?}

Now on to Home Tour Tuesday!

Welcome, y'all! It's time for the first ever Home Tour Tuesday, hosted by Flip Flops and Pearls  and yours truly! If you haven't been by Daphne's blog you should head over after linking up and show her some bloggy love! Not only is Daphne an Alabama girl like me (not to be mistaken for Alabama fan, you know I could never do that to my Gators), she's practically a neighbor, living only about half an hour away! Once again blogging proves what we all know to be true, it really is a small world!

I'm really excited to host a regular themed post and hope that many of you will decide to share in the fun and link up! Today's theme is: Kitchen Decor and Holiday Recipe Share. You'll have to forgive my pretty pitiful post. It's lacking a lot of the details I wanted to include but will just have to post at another time. As I'm sure you know, sometimes life gets nuts busy, and like Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton taught us, "Something's Gotta Give!"

If you're a first time Webbisodes visitor, welcome! I'm glad you dropped by! I hope that you'll become a regular around here because as many of you know, I do love my bloggy friends! Stay tuned for future Home Tour Tuesday posts. Daphne and I will try to get our acts together and post the next theme in plenty of time for everyone to snap their pictures!



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{Do, do, do, lookin' through my back door---This picture was taken from the back door looking into the kitchen.}

{From the breakfast nook}

{From the dining room}

{From the main cooking area}

And of course, the best kitchen accessory of them all... Sweet Bean!

Now for my Holiday Recipe Share. This recipe has become a staple around our home at Thanksgiving. Not only is it absolutely divine, but it fills the entire house with the delicious aroma of pumpkin spice that will surely leave you drooling and counting down along with the oven timer!

Delicious Pumpkin Crisp

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Prep: 15 min: Bake 1 hour 5 min: Stand 10 min

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 package butter-flavored yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter melted
Whipped cream (optional)
Ground nutmeg (optional)

STIR together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture; sprinkle evenly with pecans. Drizzle butter evenly over pecans

BAKE at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature with Whipped Cream, if desired. Sprinkle with nutmeg if desired.

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Enjoy! Now it's your turn to link up! Can't wait to see what's cookin' in your kitchen!



{Oh yea, don't forget to enter the Royal Blue Papers giveaway. There's still time!}

G Love

“The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent."---Sam Levenson

Happy belated Grandparents' Day!

With love,
Gillian Grace


"On the seventh day God rested. His grandchildren must have been out of town." ---Gene Perret

It's a funny quote that I just couldn't help but share, although I'm pretty sure that my mom would swear that it's true! I hope you all had a great weekend and that your Monday is off to a fantastic start!

And, if you haven't already, don't forget to give your grandparents (or your lil one's grandparents) a ring. I'm off to call mine now!

Almost Wordless Wednesday- Weekend Recap

Fourth of July {in pictures}





















Cooling off {Gillian Grace's first push-up pop}







A dip in the pool {Is there a better way to get clean?}

Father Knows Best

For the man a few words, a simple Father's Day wish.



I love you.


I love the husband you are...



The father you have been,


The father-in-law you have learned to be,


And recently, the grandfather you have become.


But most importantly, the friend you will always be.

Dad, you are one of the two best fathers I know. Fortunately for us all, I married the man that recently became the other.



Happy first Father's Day, Bret! Gillian Grace is so blessed to have you as her Daddy.

Happy Father's Day! I love you both more than words can express.