I get approached frequently with questions about how to start a blog or how to make a blog more personalized, more professional and more aesthetically pleasing overall. While I’ve been able to kind of get people aimed in the right direction, I usually have to direct them to my personal IT support person and web designer….aka, my husband. I’m pitifully dependent on his brilliance since his desk is approximately 2.74 feet from mine, but I realize that most new bloggers or soon-to-be bloggers don’t have that luxury.

That’s where page.ly comes in.

Page.ly is a brilliant service that provides the fastest, easiest way to set up a very professional-looking site with a personalized domain.  It takes care of the hosting, setup and steps that confuse those of us that aren’t as gifted in the ways of the web.  Page.ly gives you the ease and convenience of wordpress.com with the freedom and options that come along with wordpress.org.  They offer a large selection of premium WordPress themes for you to choose from so that you get just the looking you’re wanting.  With a page.ly account, you can achieve professional quality and functionality on your site without spending a big chunk of change on hiring a pro.

Page.ly takes care of you.  Period.  And it’s cheap!  Starting at around $15 a month, you get your domain (or use one you already have), hosting and setup.  Right there, you’re saving money and not wasting your valuable time digging through confusing files, figuring out FTP, etc.  They do all the work for you…in seriously a matter of minutes. Seriously.  Take a minute of your life to watch this video.

See how easy and fast?  You can literally set up an account, build your site and make you first blog post before you even finish your morning coffee.

To that, I say:  Word.

So, for those of you who have been considering starting a blog but are too intimidated…..here’s your ticket to ride.  Page.ly, baby.  Page.ly.  And for those of you that have a blog, but don’t love it…Page.ly.

Oh, and one more thing.  The people behind page.ly are just outright awesome.  They provide excellent support and will take care of you down to the last detail.  Good people, I tell ya.

If you set up a site using page.ly, leave the link in a comment below. I would love to see it!

We took off walking from our hotel in Cambridge on the MIT campus and soon found this interesting sculpture.  I can’t find any information about it, so if any of you know anything about it I would love to hear from you! **

I really enjoyed all the unique architecture that you just don’t find in North Texas.

Unfortunately, we only had a few hours to explore the city, so we just saw what we could of Freedom Trail.

Our main goal was finding Paul Revere’s house.  I have to admit that when we arrived there, I got a little choked up as the hugeness of its history hit me.  Wow.  Paul.  Revere’s.  House.

Paul Revere.  He lived.  He lived in this house.  He had eight children with his first wife who died at the age of 37.  He remarried and had eight more children.

And I think I’m stressed out trying to type this blog post while my three-year-old daughter runs around on hardwoods in clackity princess shoes.

Sheesh.

Here’s what was originally the back door, but is now the main entrance.  Imagine Paul Revere coming home exhausted from a long day, walking in and being greeted by his wife and many children.  It really brings history to life.  I regret, but respect, the fact that photography is not allowed inside the home.  If you ever have the chance, please go. It’s definitely worth seeing.

This is the street that runs in front of the home.  Old school, for sure and still in use!

We followed Freedom trail a bit and ran into Paul himself.

He didn’t have much to say, so we moved on toward the Old North Church and along the way we saw this:

A dog tag memorial for the troops that we have lost in Afghanistan and Iraq.  When the cold breeze blew, the tags made a very solemn wind chime.

We visited St. Francis.

We arrived at the Old North Church, where Paul Revere hung lanterns to warn that the British were coming.  I closed my eyes and could almost hear his horse’s hooves as he made his famous ride.

I stepped inside briefly and snapped a picture of this incredible organ.

The sun began to hide behind the clouds, the cold breeze picked up and we were far from our hotel.  We began our walk back and I snapped a few pictures along the way.

The Custom House Tower…

The Flat Iron building.

The iced-over Charles River.

Back at the hotel, I snapped this picture of an incredible sunset from the window of our room.

That evening we enjoyed a speakers’ dinner at Middlesex Lounge for WordCamp Boston speakers and enjoyed meeting so many incredible minds and interesting people.  It got us warmed up for the actual event the next day.  I didn’t lug my camera along to the lounge and I only took a handful of pictures at WordCamp.

One of Shayne’s presentations underway…

And a surprise event in the afternoon that involved Shayne in a Sumo suit…

And a very comical throwdown between Shayne and Jonathan Davis, the creator of the Shopp plugin for WordPress.  Because Shayne was representing the WP E-Commerce plugin, and because there is a wonderfully friendly rivalry between the two plugins, the WordCamp organizers thought it would be fun to let them hash it out in a Sumo match.

Fun, it was.

Fun, indeed.

Okay, so it was hysterical!

Things got a little crazy!

And down they both went.

So, to sum up:

Boston was incredibly interesting and wonderful and we’ll be going back.

You need to go to Boston if you never have.

WordCamp Boston was incredibly well organized and wonderful.

You need to attend a WordCamp near you if you never have.

I want more clam chowder.

And a question for you guys:  If you are from the Boston area or are just familiar with it, what would you suggest we do as a family when we go back for a longer visit?

**I was given information on the sculpture in the first picture.  James Tyler created it in 1986 and named it Tower of East Cambridge Faces.  In an effort to capture the cultural diversity in East Cambridge, he took photos of 50 random people around town and then sculpted them in bronze.  Very interesting.  Thank you, Sadie!

I think at one point or another all of us has had a piece of clothing lying around that we couldn’t bear to toss, but really didn’t have a use for anymore, either.  We glance at it from the corner of our eye, feel a pang of guilt and then just go on with our day.  From a dusty closet shelf, it cries out to us to take it down, wear it, love it.

And who hasn’t passed a skirt in a thrift store or garage sale and thought to themselves, “Hmm…I love that fabric but that skirt would never look right on me.”

Well, The Fabric Floozie knows how to handle these situations.  She’s the master of spotting a random piece of clothing and reconstructing it to work for her family.

For instance, she found these capris and didn’t adore them as they were, but the fabric caught her eye.

Armed with a great sense of fashion, the urge to be green and a good pair of scissors, TFF went to work.  In no time, she whipped up this gorgeous little dress for her lovely little daughter.

And this maternity top?

Another toddler dress!

But this one?  This is magic.  She was given this coat with a recon in mind.

Would you look at this??  This todder version of it is absolutely, 100% gorgeous.

So, are you feeling inspired yet?

Good!  Because The Fabric Floozie has a challenge for us all!  She’s hosting the 2010 Recon-A-Thon!!  She wants us to dig out that big dress from the early 90s with the horrid sleeves and give it new life!  Or recon that old prom dress into a magical plaything for you daughter?  What about that old sweater you just had to have from Goodwill??

Let’s do it!  I double-dog dare you to join me in the Recon-A-Thon. Reduce, reuse, upcycle, baby!  I’m on this like white on rice.  Like a duck on a June bug.  Like a 16 year old on Twilight.

We can each enter up to 3 items.  We simply put the Recon-A-Thon badge in our sidebars and post before & after pics on our blogs.

OH!  And!  The winner will receive at least 2 yards of fabric that they design themselves from Spoonflower.com!  Who hasn’t gone fabric shopping with a very specific mental picture of the fabric they need only to come home disappointed and empty handed.  How cool is it to design your own high-quality, eco-friendly fabric?? Whoa.

Now, I’m no recon-girl for the most part, so this will definitely be a challenge for me.  I think, though, that this is a great way to upcycle old items in a fun, competitive way.  It’s going to be a blast to see what everyone comes up with!

I’ve got ideas flowing like crazy!  And the cool part?  It doesn’t have to be a clothing item.  It could be anything that reuses fabric from an existing item.

Don’t know how to sew?  Get out the glue gun!

So…who’s with me??  Who’s up to the challenge?

First, the goody bags.  Now, I did have to buy the bags and an owl stamp, so this craft wasn’t as conservative as I’d hoped to be.  I’m extremely pleased with the end result, though!

I was a little concerned with how I could make the room feel full and owl-like when there aren’t mass-produced owl party goods readily available….so….out came the felt.  Again.

I thought these little hoots could keep a watchful eye over what will be our cake table.  I’m pretty sure they’ll need to find a permanent home because they’re too cute to store away….if I do say so myself.

(The fabric you see serving as a runner is left from this halter top I made months ago and just happens to exactly match the plates and napkins, thanks to Hobby Lobby and their lovely coordinating goodies.  We’re going un-green there and using paper goods.  I’m sorry, Mother Earth. )

Then, using some ribbon, felt and chipboard letters from my stash, I created a banner to hang over the fireplace.  I left it un-owly so that it may be reused for another party.

(I promise that I do have pictures of Elliott displayed in the house.  I just haven’t replaced those mantle pics in….years.  Over 3 years, anyway. )

And….

and….

the birthday girl will be sporting this way-too-cute shirt appliqued by my dear friend Carol fixed up for her.  If you ever need anything embroidered or appliqued, contact her.  She a new, but already very dear friend of mine with a huge heart and gentle spirit.  On top of that, she can knock a project out in about 4 seconds flat for procrastinators like myself.  Thank you, Carol!!

Next up….the cake.  I’ll get back to you on that.

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Back to the matter at hand, though.  We have a winner!

The cookbook is going home to Sabra Childers!  Congratulations, Sabra!  Email me with your information and I’ll get the book shipped out to you.  I know you will enjoy it!

As you many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Pioneer woman, her blogs and her endless talent.  She’s clever, witty, entertaining and….real.  So very real.  She’s someone that people all over the world can relate to and feel a connection with.  She’s an incredible cook, a photographer, a homeschooling mom and a seriously hard worker.  Her name is Ree and she is an inspiration to women–and men–everywhere.  She knows how to entertain us through her writing, draw us in with her delicious recipes, and keeps us laughing with her Ethel Merman impressions.  And for me, she’s my inspiration to not throw my hands up and give up as a housewife and mother when the laundry keeps coming, dishes keep getting dirty and the kids just want to be kids.

If you’re not familiar with her, let me assign you some PW homework.  You won’t regret completing this assignment.  Trust me.

• First and foremost, scroll to the bottom of this page.  Read each and every chapter of Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, the story of how Ree met her husband, Marlboro Man.
• Now that you’ve read that and are head over heels in love with Ree’s sense of humor and passion for story telling, go fall in love with this recipe.
• And this one.  My family loves these.
• Check out a few of these.
• I love her for her Photoshop tips and actions and for her gorgeous photography.

You get the idea.  I could link all day, but I want you to take some free time and lose yourself in her sites for awhile.  It’s the good stuff.

Now.  On to my story….

She’s currently on her book signing tour for the amazing cookbook she just released.  When I found out she was coming to a bookstore (somewhat) near me, I was thrilled!  I felt a little twinge of I-might-be-a PW-groupie-ness as I got giddy at the prospect of meeting her, if even for just a moment.  As the date neared, though, it wasn’t looking good.  The book signing was at 7pm on a school night….over 2 hours away from home.  The day arrived and I accepted that my plans that day just couldn’t include meeting Ree.  Who would pick up Alex?  Who would wash Elliott’s curls and tuck the kids in?  What if the roads got too nasty with the snow in the forecast?

I was doing housework and settling into the daily mom routine, when all of a sudden my in-laws arrive acting a bit…sneaky.  Lo and behold, Shayne had arranged for the kids to be taken care of.  He cleared his work day.  He did all of this so that he could take me down to Dallas and spend many hours waiting with me to get my cookbook signed.  That’s love, man.

Within minutes, I was showered and ready to roll.  We hopped in the car and drove as quickly as we safely and legally could in hopes that by the time we arrived at the bookstore, there would be a wristband left for me.  And there was.  So we settled in and waited. 

And waited.

After killing 3 hours roaming around the store and nearby retailers, our group was called to get in line….where we waited almost four hours for our turn to have our book signed.  We met a lovely group of ladies and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.  As the line slowly moved, we realized that we should have brought drinks and snacks.  We laughed our way through our thirst and dropping blood sugar with our new friends and finally we arrived at the front of the line!

After hours of waiting, one would think I had come up with something witty to say.  One would think.  By that time, though, I was fresh out of personality.  I’m not at my best at 10:30 at night, for sure.  All I could muster was something like, “Hi, Ree.  How are you?  Thanks for doing this” or something equally bland.  Fortunately, she’s as radiant, gracious and charming as you would expect and once she recognized “The Green Wife” we had a conversation about how I’d won a Le Creuset from her fairly recently.

And I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for this pic.

Then she looked at me and said with a touch of sadness to her voice and a touch of Ree-style humor, “I used to have red hair, too.”

We discussed red hair.

And she signed my book.

If you haven’t gotten a copy of the book, I highly recommend it.  It’s chock full of real-people, everyday-ingredient recipes.

Oh, yum.

It has pictures of life around her ranch.

Pictures of her ‘punks’.

And pictures of dogs in hats, of course.

Oh, wait!  What’s this?

How did I end up with an extra copy?!

And it seems as though….

it’s signed!  And it says…

That must mean one of my lucky readers is getting their own signed copy!

To enter, leave one comment on this post letting me know what you love about PW.  Do you love her photography best?  Her recipes?  Her cowboy pics? Or maybe her burps?  If you’ve never heard of her, just tell me that you’re going digging through her archives.

This contest will end Saturday, Dec 5 at 5pm and the winner will be announced soon after.  One comment only, please.

–Abbie

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Is that applause I hear?  I thought so.

Just look at these cool, creative designs!

I love the details on the inside.

The lovely lining fabrics…

And all the zippers, pockets and pouches to stash everything you need to take along with you.

The best part?  It’s winner’s choice! Pick whichever Super Jumbo suits you best!

These Super Jumbos are magnificent creations that make great gifts…and they’re pretty great to keep for yourself, too.

I have to say just how much I love their slogan, too.  It’s clever.  Simple.  Fun.  Makes me laugh.  Just check out their ad in my sidebar.

So, what I want you to do is enter our giveaway, then go check out the other funky little goodies on the Slaughterhead site.  Keep in mind that through December 4th, they have free shipping on orders over $40.  Just in time to get a unique gift for that unique someone in your life!

To enter:

Enter one comment only, telling me about your stocking stuffers.  What was your favorite one you received as a child?  Do you have a stocking as an adult?  What are you stuffing stockings with this year?  Do you not celebrate Christmas?  Then tell me about what you will do with the wallet if you win.  Will you keep it or pass it on to a friend?

Contest closes at 12pm central time, Thursday, December 3rd and the winner will be announced soon after.

*WINNER*

Oh my gosh, I enjoyed reading the comments so much!  I adored stocking goodies as a kid and I’m surprised at just how many of us got fruit and nuts!  I thought that was just something my Santa did.

I used random.org to choose a winner from the 51 eligible entries (excluding double entries and replies) and the lucky Slaughterhead recipient is Nicole!  Nicole, please contact me within 14 days to claim your prize.  Don’t forget to include your mailing address and wallet preference.

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Ack.

So, because this is all over everything you hear and see, I would like to poll you guys!  Please feel free to elaborate on your answers to each poll in the comment section.  I love hearing thoughts on this!

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I ran home, new cover in hand, and searched youtube.com to find the skit and share it with you guys. What I found was a couple of guys who reenacted it and I got the giggles! Enjoy!

If you haven’t seen his stand-up routines 8 billion times like I have, please, please, please watch him. Every chance you get. He’s brilliant.

And….keep an eye out tomorrow for my video demonstration of Creative Little Daisy’s bias tape trick!

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She seemed to be particularly excited about one button as she ran toward me, but I stayed focused on my ironing and expected nothing but another button.

“Pocket!  In the pocket, Mommy!”

I feel her little fingers slip in my back, left pocket…and then a bit of a jab.  I didn’t think much of it and didn’t turn around to look.

She withdrew her hand and then shoved it in harder, deeper and much faster.  This time, I jumped and let out a little scream.  I whipped around to find a straight pin sticking straight out of my rear!  That thing must have been buried a half-inch into my tush and I think  I scared Elliott half to death with my reaction as I yanked it out as quickly as she had shoved it in.  She was backing away, eyes wide and lips quivering.

“Sorry!  Elliott sorry!  Mommy hurt!  SORRRRRRYYYY!” and the tears began to flow.  Poor girl was just horrified that she had hurt her mommy’s hiney and the attacked spend 5 minutes consoling the attacker.

Anyway, we have both recovered and I’m about to start resizing pictures for the tutorial.  I might have it up late tonight, but it will most likely be tomorrow since I’m pushing it close to bed & bathtime for the kiddos!

Keep your eye out!  It’s a cute one!

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