Too old to Rock??

If you do any of the below at a concert it could mean that you might be getting just a little too old for concerts:

1. You spend 30 minutes before the concert finding the perfect strategic parking space so that you can make a clean fast exit when the concert is over.

2. During the concert you are overly concerned about how long it will last because your bedtime is 10:30pm.

3. You drink bottled water instead of beer.

4. You sit down during the entire concert.

5. You wish all the drunk people would shut up and sit down.

6. You insist that concerts are getting louder every time you go to one.

7. You wear bright orange ear plugs.

8. You spend the entire concert wishing you wore your pajama pants.

9. You really want to buy a concert t-shirt, but can't find the clearance rack.

10. You leave 10 minutes before the concert is over just in case your "strategic parking space" doesn't work out so well.


We did all of the above at the Queensryche concert last night!

Wacky Wednesday - 30% off Monogrammed Bookmarkers

30% off Monogrammed Bookmarkers now through midnight on Thursday, April 30, 2009. Just use the following coupon code during checkout to receive the 30% off "wacky"

Can You Hear Me Now??

Why do we need a 7 speaker surround sound system for the TV?

I now act just like my dogs. I am usually flipping through a magazine or working on jewelry while I watch TV at night so I am not really paying much attention. When a doorbell goes off on the TV I jump up to answer the door.

The surround system makes everything sound so real. It is like having Freddy Kruger walking down my hallway.....not sure I really need that!!

I LOVE Cookies!!!

I have a few more birthday presents I have to order soon so I was surfing the web (instead of going grocery shopping.....again!!!). I love this website "A Dozen Eggs". They have some really cute cookies and I always try to buy from small businesses. I might just have to pretend it is my birthday and order some for myself. I could live on cookies!

Damask Notes from A Touch of Whimsy Designs

Instead of going grocery shopping this morning I decided to shop on line for some birthday gifts and note cards.

A Touch of Whimsy Designs has some really cute personalized stationery. I just ordered some matching note cards and stickers to put on birthday gifts. I also ordered a few gifts for some birthdays that are coming up next month, and I ordered the cutest princess note cards for my niece. Gina has so many cute designs!!

NEW GIVEWAY STARTS TODAY - Vera Bradley Gift Set

The new giveaway contest starts today, April 24, 2009: A Vera Bradley Gift Set - Matching lunch bag, coin purse, sticky note set, highlighters and pencils. I will be taking entries until midnight on Thursday, April 30, 2009. A winner will be drawn and announced on Friday, May 1, 2009.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER: All entries must come through the website link. I had to start doing it this way because of all the spamming. The link will take you to the giveaway page on my website. I created a contest submission form that automatically records, date stamps, and stores all contest entries in the order they come in. It also records extra entries. You can earn extra entries by doing any of the following:

1. Posting about this giveaway on your blog

2. Writing about this giveaway on Facebook

3. Announcing this giveaway on Twitter

4. Sign up to be a follower on my blog www.laurennicolegifts.blogspot.com (or let me know you already are a follower).

Click Here to Enter Contest

WINNER - Lilly Pulitzer Hammersmith Bag

The winner of the Lilly Pulitzer Hammersmith Raspberry Prepster Bag is "Dana". The winner has been contacted through email.

We took all of the entries that came in through the on-line entry form and counted all entries plus the extra entries, and then drew a number by hand.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

BUTTON GIVEAWAY - Winner

The winner of the button giveaway is "GINGERSNAP". Please email me when you get a chance at admin@laurennicolegifs.com

Congratulations!!

Can Dogs Go To Jail ??

If you read some of my other posts you know that my dog, Bailey, has a theft problem. He will steal anything he can carry and anything he can carry ends up in the back yard.

Before we moved here we lived in Colorado. Last winter the snow drifts were so high that he was able to come and go over the fence to the neighbor’s house. I didn’t know he was doing it until he got caught going through the neighbor’s dog door and playing in their house.

Well, I have been cleaning out my workshop and other stuff in our house over the last few weeks. Last night I unpacked a few boxes that were still packed from our move and I found a remote control that I didn’t recognize. I turned it over and it has my neighbor’s name on it. We didn’t really know the neighbor and he was never over at our house so I am pretty sure Bailey lifted the remote control from his house and brought it through the dog door, which means that Bailey was probably in his house several times before he got caught. Bad Dog!!

What should I do with the remote?

I should mention that my neighbor wasn’t very nice. If he ever found anyone’s dog in his yard he would immediately call animal control and the dogs would get taken to the pound. I was always picking up dogs and putting them in my house until I found the owners just so he wouldn’t get them first. Since it is a universal remote I think I should donate it the humane society. They do an annual fundraiser garage sale back in Colorado.

Note to Sister: Remember that pair of Ipod headphones you “misplaced” when you were visiting. Well, silly girl, you left them in my back yard in a hole along with my spare set of car keys.

Wacky Wednesday - 30% off Origami Pendant Necklaces

30% off of Origami Pendant Necklaces now through midnight on Thursday, April 23, 2009. The coupon section of the website is still down so I will manually process the discount for any orders that come through.

"I am Too Preppy For My Shirt" - Giveaway

"I am too preppy for my shirt" Ceramic buttons.

As usual.......I have had way too much caffiene this morning! After finishing all those tax returns I had a little time yesterday to fire my new ceramic buttons. They measure 1" in diameter and are probably a little too big for a shirt, but are great for sweaters, purses, etc.

I am giving away a set of SIX ceramic buttons. To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me what you would do with them OR tell me why you are too preppy for your shirt! The giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday, April 23, 2009. The winner will get to choose which 6 buttons they want (all the same or assorted; I also have a lot of other colors on my website).

To Put It Simply: "Taxes SUCK!"

My dream of having a nice relaxing weekend came to a screeching halt when I watched the Fedex truck back into my driveway on the 15th and saw the driver unloading tax files.

I spent all weekend doing tax returns. Yes, I know they were due on April 15th, but most of my relatives think that means they can overnight all of their boxes of crap to me on the 15th. I can’t get them to understand that taxes are DUE on the 15th and that it usually takes more than a few seconds to do all those tax returns.

Why is it that when I do all of my relative’s tax returns they get huge refunds and I always owe? I think my whole family should be able to file one giant combined tax return and then divide up the refund equally. I am all for “fair and equal taxes” and I think this would work out the best for me.

Note to Family: NO, you cannot deduct squeaky toys, dog food, and kitty litter. I know you all have enough pets to stock a pet store, but that doesn’t mean you get the same deductions as a pet store. I am also pretty sure you cannot deduct speeding tickets, parking tickets, or fines for flying through a toll booth and not realizing that your “prepaid” toll pass has a zero balance.

With that said I would like to propose a change to the tax law. I think you should be able to claim your dog as a dependant if he sleeps in your bed and takes up more space than a person.

New Lilly Giveaway Starts Today (ends at midnight on 4-23-09)

The new giveaway contest starts today, April 17, 2009: A Lilly Pulitzer Hammersmith Raspberry Prepster Handbag. I will be taking entries until midnight on Thursday, April 23, 2009. A winner will be drawn and announced on Friday, April 24, 2009.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER: All entries must come through the website link. I had to start doing it this way because of all the spamming. The link will take you to the giveaway page on my website. I created a contest submission form that automatically records, date stamps, and stores all contest entries in the order they come in. It also records extra entries. You can earn extra entries by doing any of the following:

1. Posting about this giveaway on your blog

2. Writing about this giveaway on Facebook

3. Announcing this giveaway on Twitter

4. Sign up to be a follower on my blog www.laurennicolegifts.blogspot.com (or let me know you already are a follower).

Click Here to Enter Contest

WINNER - Lilly Pulitzer Jewelry Roll & Fleur de lis Necklace

The winner of the Lilly Pulitzer Jewelry Roll and Fleur de lis necklace is "Pink Under Pressure", entry #115. We took all of the entries that came in through the on-line entry form and counted all entries plus the extra entries, and then drew a number by hand.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Suggestion for TJ Maxx

I just read a post on Preppy Mama’s blogspot about her TJ Maxx shopping trip (how her husband waits in the car while she dashes into TJ Maxx to find the BEST shoes). I love that story!!

So…… why don’t they have “Man Centers” in stores like TJ Maxx? If they would only set a small section aside near the front of the store with a few comfortable chairs, a TV, a vending machine and free coffee, all the men could hang out while the women shopped.

My husband gets excited when we go to a Michael’s and they have a “Man Bench” out front. He just brings a book and reads while I shop. After 18 years he finally learned that when I say “I will be just a few minutes” that it really means “you are going to have to hunker down and sit here for at least an hour…. next time bring snacks”.

They don’t even have to make the Man Center super nice. My husband is perfectly content to hang out in an auto repair shop waiting area where he can sit in a very uncomfortable hard plastic chair, watch a tiny TV, and drink gas station coffee out of a coffee pot that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned since 1985.

This what the Winners of the Night Owl Grab Bag Giveaway Won

The FOUR winners of the Night Owl Grab Bag Giveaway will each receive a Vera Bradley Coin Purse. I pre-packaged theml so which one they get will be a surprise. They will be shipped out tomorrow.

The coin purses went to the first four people to post a comment on the original post

I will some more grab bag giveaways soon.

Key Chain Winner

The winner of the ceramic key chain giveaway is "Bowlby" from Katie's Korner. Just email me with your shipping address at admin@laurennicolegifts.com when you a chance and let me know which key chain you would like.

Night Owl - Grab Bag Giveaway

UPDATE: I now have all the winners for the Night Owl giveaway. The first Four bloggers that posted a comment will receive a prize in the mail.

I will mail out the prizes this weekend. I am still cleaning out my over-stuffed workshop so I will keep doing grab bag giveaways at random times.

I wrote this earlier and set it to post at a certain time because I am way too old to be hanging out with all you night owls and staying up this late.

Check Out This Blog!

I love this blog: The Gifting Gumshoe. I have no time to shop any more so I pretty much just check her blog every day and shop from there. She always finds the cutest things. She featured a bag on her blog today from Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags. I love it!! I just ordered two for Mother's Day Gifts. I always try to support small businesses whenever I can (my family is getting tired of the stuff I make so I am always looking for new small businesses to buy from).
www.thegiftgumshoe.blogspot.com

Wacky Wednesday - 30% off Ceramic Earrings

30% off Ceramic Earrings now through midnight on Thursday, April 14, 2009. The earrings are hand made, hand painted, then fired in a kiln. The earrings come in 19 different color combinations and measure approximately 1/2" in diameter. It will take about 10 days to receive the earrings. To receive the discount just enter the following coupon code in the coupon box during checkout: wacky

New Ceramic Keychains & Giveaway

New Ceramic hand made and hand painted keychains. My kiln and I are getting along really well and I was finally able to add some keychains to the website. I am giving one away this Thursday. To enter just leave any comment on this post by midnight on Wednesday 4-15-09. Please be sure to check back on Thursday to see if you won. The winner will get to pick which color combination they want.

Winners of the Easter Grab Bag Giveaway

The 10 winners of the Easter Grab Bag Giveaway won a sterling silver engraved pendant. They were engraved and shipped today (the pendant looks much better than it does in the picture).

I will try to do a few of the grab bag giveaways every month until I clean everything out.

Have a great week!!~

Parking anyone??

I was at the Denver International Airport a while back. When you drive through the front of the airport there are signs for the parking areas. They will light up with the word "F U L L" so that you don't waste your time driving around in a particular parking area just to find out there are no spaces available. I am not sure if part of their sign was burnt out or if they were just trying to tell me something because when I drove through the sign said "F U". I did eventually find a parking spot at the airport......far......far.......far away!

By the way, you can tell you are getting old if you get way too excited when you find a really "close" parking spot. What is way too excited? I am pretty sure it was when my step mom found a really close parking space in a shopping area in Michigan (where it is normally impossible to find close parking spaces). Before she even got out of the car she called my Dad just to tell him about her great parking space!! I LOVE you Nancy!!

Happy Easter - Grab Bag Giveaway

UPDATE: I now have all ten winners. If you were one of the first 10 bloggers to leave a comment on this post please be sure to email me with your shipping address.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!!! This weekend I will be cleaning out my work shop because it has become really disorganized over the last few weeks and I can't stand it!!. I have a bunch of things that I want to giveaway (products that I took off of the website because I only have one left).

The first TEN bloggers to leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Easter memory was will get one of these items. It is a surprise so AFTER you leave your comment be sure to email me with your shipping address, your name, and your initials at admin@laurennicolegifts.com.

I will do a few grab giveaways each month for the next few months. They will be done at completely random times and dates.

This isn't my favorite memory, but it is the one that I remember the most. When my twin brother and I were 6 years old we decided it would be a good idea to get up at 4:00am and look for all the eggs. We even set the alarm clock and put it under a pillow so that it was just loud enough to wake us up and not our parents. We thought of everything! The plan was to find all the eggs and then remember where they were so that when we did the easter egg hunt the next day we would get most of the eggs and my little sisters wouldn't get very many. Of course, it was all his idea and of course we got caught. The punishment.......we had to sit and watch while my little sisters found ALL of the eggs. We never tried that again!!

I found these on the Doodle Bugs Blog

I was catching up on Google reader and saw these bag tags on the Doodle Bugs blog. She has the cutest stuff ever. I ordered one of the custom stamps! Here is a link to her website Doodle Bugs Paper I just thought I would share her website with you just in case you wanted to start Christmas shopping early. I try to get my Christmas shopping done by July, but then again I am not really normal..... I also spend way too much time alphabetizing my cd's, books, and movies :)

Wacky Wednesday Deal - 30% off Women's Monogrammed T-shirts

30% off Ladie's Monogrammed Short-Sleeve T-shirts now through midnight on Thursday, April 9, 2009. I have the t-shirts in white, lime green, and pink.

Availability: I know that I will run out of t-shirts fast. I am taking orders for the t-shirts through midnight on Thursday and then I will place an order for more blank t-shirts on Friday morning. I will monogram them as soon as they get here and ship them out as fast as I can. Just plan on about 10 days to receive your t-shirt. They won't be delivered in time for Easter.

To receive the discount just enter the following coupon code in the coupon box during checkout: wacky

Gift with Purchase

I meant to post this a few days ago (I spent a little too much time painting beads this weekend). A free monogrammed mirror made with Lilly Pulitzer fabric will be given away with every order that totals $20 or more. You just have to click on the link and place it in the cart with the initial you would like on it. Offer is valid through May 5, 2009.
(Link to Gift with Purchase)

What's in your wallet??

Last night a few people that work with my husband came over for dinner. This morning I checked the back yard. I have to check the back yard every morning because my dog, Bailey, will take everything outside that he can get his paws on (remote control, car keys, etc.). I found a Visa card in the back yard that belongs to one of our dinner guests. My dog loves to go through purses. He is really neat about it and you would never be able to tell that a dog was in your purse. This has happened several times before and I really hate calling people to tell them that my dog just stole their credit card. They are always really nice about it, but I wonder if they really believe me or not.

Bailey already has a criminal record. Last year he got caught shoplifting from Petsmart. I had just picked him up from the Vet and stopped in Petsmart to buy dog food. I can’t leave him in the car because he will steal the knobs off of the radio and heater so I had to take him into the store with me. I paid for the dog food and started to leave the store when the alarm went off. Bailey was in the shopping cart and had a stuffed toy hidden underneath him. He must have swiped it off the rack by the register!

New Giveaway Starts Today - Necklace & Lilly Pulitzer Jewelry Roll

I LOVE doing giveaways!! When we were kids my twin brother and I used to host all kinds of contests for other kids in the neightborhood. I always wanted to be the person that drew the lottery numbers. We used to always have these contests where you had to guess how many jelly beans were in the jar. Of course, he would totally cheat and fill the center of the jar with cotton! We didn't have video games back then so we had to amuse ourselves somehow (we have four younger brothers and sisters we had to torture)!

The new giveaway contest starts today, April 4, 2009: A Lilly Pulitzer Jewelry Roll in the "Grasshopper Green Dream Weaver" Pattern AND a fine silver fleur de lis necklace made by me (so that you have new jewelry to put in the jewelry roll). I will be taking entries until midnight on Thursday, April 16, 2009. A winner will be drawn and announced on Friday, April 17, 2009.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER: All entries must come through the website link. The link will take you to the giveaway page on my website. I created a contest submission form that automatically records, date stamps, and stores all contest entries in the order they come in. It also records extra entries. You can earn extra entries by doing any of the following:

1. Posting about this giveaway on your blog

2. Writing about this giveaway on Facebook

3. Announcing this giveaway on Twitter

4. Sign up to be a follower on my blog www.laurennicolegifts.blogspot.com (or let me know you already are a follower).

Click Here to Enter Contest

Note from Husband

My husband reads my blog once in a while (even though he won't admit it) so I thought it was only fair to let him respond to my "Man Room" post - original post

"I just would like to point out that what my lovely wife forgot to mention in her post is that there is now an embroidery machine in the dining room......pretty much in the same spot where my motorcycle used to be. Why is it okay to sew, paint and embroider in the dining room, but not okay to re-build a carburetor on the dining room table?"

And the Winner is......

Congratulations! The winner of the LILLY TOTE is "Suburban Prep". Please contact me within 48 hours at admin@laurennicolegifts.com

The new Lilly Giveaway starts tomorrow (Saturday, April 4, 2009 and runs through Thursday, April 16, 2009). Check back tomorrow to see the next giveaway. I LOVE doing giveaways!!!

UPDATE: Thanks for contacting me Suburban Prep. Your bag will ship out today!!

And the Winner is.....

Congratulations!! The WINNER of the WAX SEAL INITIAL Necklace is "Eric and Kari". Congratulations!!! Please contact me at admin@laurennicolegifts.com to claim your prize within 48 hours.

The Man Room - The key to a happy marriage!

To all the wonderful newlyweds and brides-to-be blog readers out there, I am giving out unsolicited advice again. One of the keys to a happy marriage is to add a “Man Room” to your house.

Trust me, whether you believe it or not traditional man treasures, such as a Velvet Elvis, a classy beer bottle collection, a genuine light-up beer sign, or something equally as tacky will eventually make its way into your home with the following lines, “my best friend gave it to me”, or “I always wanted this when I was a kid”, or my personal favorite, "I just found it laying in the road".

At some point your husband will try to hang this tacky stuff on your walls! I have even caught my husband going through the neighbor’s trash when the neighbor’s wife threw out some of her husband’s coveted Man Treasures (nothing is more embarrassing then to watch out the window horrified that your husband is going through someone’s trash in broad daylight……he could at least wait until it gets dark!).

The best advice I can give is to set aside a room or the basement for a “Man Room” (preferably a room that cannot be viewed or smelled from the rest of the house).

RULES:
1. Your husband can decorate the Man Room ANYWAY he likes.
2. He agrees not to hang Man Treasures throughout the house
3. You get to decorate the rest of the house ANYWAY you like.
4. The Big screen TV (that is large enough to be used in a regular movie theater) has to fit in the Man Room along with the 50 surround sound speakers he has collected.
5. The Lazy Boy chair that clashes with all of your furniture must also fit in the Man Room.
6. He must keep a can of Raid and a bottle of Febreeze within arm’s reach of his reclining Man Chair.
7. What goes on in the Man Room stays in the Man Room!
8. If you do get rid of any Man Treasures PLEASE do not send them to my husband because he will glady accept ALL donations.

I created a special Man Room for my husband the day I came home to find his motorcycle parked in our dining room. His excuse: “It is way too cold outside for the motorcycle and the garage is full”. In case you were wondering, my husband could charm Medusa (which is who I probably resembled at the time) so of course he talked me into keeping the motorcyle in the house for three months. I can't remember, but I am sure I got a new sewing machine or something out of that deal.

What's the worst thing your significant other has drug home? If you say "nothing" it probably means you just haven't found it yet.

Disclaimer: I am not a therapist or a counselor, but I have been happily married to a "Five-year-old" for 18 years.

How can you tell you are getting old?

You can tell you are getting old when you see all of the toys you had as a kid in antique stores. They are advertised as "vintage" and priced three or four times higher than what they originally cost. I was Holly Hobbie crazy when I was little. I had the original Holly Hobbie sewing machine when it first came out...I just found it on Ebay. Instead of lemonade stands my friends and I used to have craft stands in the front yard. Thank you to all those people that bought our horrible crafts. Actually I think my Mom bought most of them, probably because she felt sorry for us. Thanks Mom!! I know they were horrible because she still has some of them.