The "Kreativ Blogger" Award

Hey all, did you miss me?

Sorry for not posting for a few days. We went out of town but now I'm back and ready to post!

I was so honored to receive a Kreativ Blogger award from Kelly Howard @ The Chick 'n Charge

Kelly has a great blog! You have to go check it out!;)

I started "My Pearfect Life" the first of the year with a specific goal. I wanted to let people know that life doesn't have to be perfect in order to be precious. Things are not always going to be what we expect them to be, but regardless of how things turn out, if there's love, then you have everything you need.

I'm at a time in my life where I want to do more for my family, as a wife and a mother. This blog is a way for it to be remembered, cherished and loved.

Blogging about my family and our adventures in life has made me realize how valuable our time together is. I believe blogging is a community of people who are loving life, and are okay with their success and failures.

I'm so glad to be part of the Blogging family. Thanks again for this great award and I hope you have a pearfect day;-)

Every blog award comes with rules, and this one is no exception:

The Kreativ Blogger Award rules

1. Post the award.

2. Thank and mention the person who gave you the award.

3. Pass the award on to seven bloggers whom you think embody the spirit of the Kreativ Blogger Award.

4. Name seven things about yourself that others don't know.

5. Don’t forget to notify your seven Kreativ Bloggers about their AWARD and post links to their blogs.

There are so many unbelievable Blogs out there so to pick just seven was really tough.

These are my picks for the Kreativ Blogger award.

Please go check them out, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and congratulations to you all.

Pocket Full of Posies

These sisters have great ideas! I always look forward to what they have to say. Their meal planning system keeps your grocery budgets cheap and your families consistently fed! Check out their system "Pocket Full of Posies, Perfect Pocket Meal Planning." Thanks for the champaign tastes on a beer budget! You go girls!!!

The Pleated Poppy

Wow what a great blog! The creativity just drips off the page! If you have time also check out her Etsy shop. It's always full of great handmade products. Hurry she sells out fast! (always a good problem;)

The Spunky Coconut

If your looking for something that is gluten free, dairy free, organic and still taste like a million bucks The Spunky Coconut is the place for you. It's full of great, healthy recipes. Love it Love it Love it!

Passionate Homemaking – Loving simple and natural living on a budget

This stay at home mom strives to live an all natural, spirit filled life and she does it in style.

Blue Cricket Design

Lots, Lots, Lots of inspiration! I could spend hours, literally hours ☺

Beneath My Heart

This girls living in a boys world. This mother of four and Her husband love working together on all types of projects, but they particularly enjoy taking their older home and fixing it up. On top of that she throws out some great recipes along the way.

Nanas' Cup-a-Cabana

This Nana is a new blogger. Her house is made a home through the love she has for those who fill her life. Her Cabana is busy, busy, busy but with her coffee filled to the brim and her heart overflowing with love she takes it all in stride.

As Nana say's "Life itself cannot give you joy, unless you really will it, Life just gives you time and space... It's up to you to fill it." Couldn't of said it better myself.☺

And Now Seven Things About Me You May Not Know.

1. I crave ice cream when I travel.

2. I eat the edges of the Reese Cup first.

3. My all time favorite movie is "Father Of The Bride"

4. I have a bag obsession (Hey does that make me a bag lady???) Any & all monogramed bags beware .

5. Chick-Fil-A is my weakness.

6. I just realized.... I'm obsessed with food!

7. I have a secret crush on Hugh Jackman... shhhhhhhhhh.

Okay guys that's it for now but not for long. I can't wait to share more ideas with ya & remember Pearfection is in the eye of the beholder☺

Gumbo

Gumbo, Yumo! This is my Mother in laws recipe, and it's a good one. We make this recipe for every special occasion. We even make up special occasions just so we can make Gumbo.

FYI it's 3 cloves of garlic not bulbs also if you like your Gumbo a little less tomato-y try a small can of tomato sauce;) Bottom line, Gumbo is meant to taste the way you make it, so take it and make it your own;-)

I put my chicken in the crockpot the night before.

Any recipe that calls for green onions and peppers, you know it's going to be good.

To make it a little healthier, I add turkey sausage.

There was more sausage than this, but, my kids kept coming in the kitchen and stealing pieces of sausage.

TA-DA!! I'm telling you right now, this recipe is de-lish!

Day Date♡

O.k girls! I have to brag just a little. This post is all about our Day Date.

Let me explain...

I think it's important for married couples to go on dates, but finding the time and a sitter, can be very difficult. There has been many times my husband and I have tried to go out and it just didn't work out.

We have come up with a plan. Now that the kids are in school all day,(I use to homeschool)we go on our date during the day, thats where we get the name, "Day Date".

Bravos is one of our favorite restaurants.

My handsome, sweet hubby. ;-)

He ordered the salmon salad, and it looks yummy!

It was a beautiful day. a little snow a little sunshine, very romantic.

I don't think I have ever told you about my second love.

Starbucks!

It makes my heart go pitter, patter, literally. Thats the only coffee we will drink. I guess we are some what coffee snobs.

It is the best. ;-)

Check out the guy behind me. HILARIOUS!!!!!

I Love You Starbucks♡♡♡

I Love You Too Honey. Isn't he so handsome? It's okay to be jealous.☺

So if you're looking for something to put the spark back in the Ol-relationship a Day Date is sure to do the trick, so go out there and have fun with it!♡

DIY Coasters

This is the COOLEST and CHEAPEST, project EVER! I can't take credit for this idea. Over @
Beneath My Heart is where I saw this, and I just had to do it. This is a white piece of tile from Home depot. You can buy it individually for sixteen cents,(HOLY COW!!) doesn't that just make you smile ;-) Anywhoo! I bought six of them.Next, you take the Mod Podge,(sorry I don't have a photo, but you can purchase it at any craft store) and apply a thin coat on your tile, then, O WAIT!!! let me back up. You have to decide what you want to put on the tile.(I just had a DUGH! moment)I printed off some monograms from the computer, I also cut some scrapbooking paper to fit the tile. NOW, to the Mod podge. After you apply a thin coat to the tile, place your paper on the tile and let dry, just for a minute.
Next, you want to apply another coat on top of the paper. Let that dry for a few hours.
When it is done drying, turn it over and place some sticky felt thingys on each corner. To completely seal it, spray each one with a glossy sealant spray and let dry for twenty four hours.
Isn't it pretty? This one I used scrapbooking paper.
This one is my favorite, the monogram. I can't get enough of these monograms! Well, their you have it, an easy and cheap coaster project.

Organize Your Daily Routine

Organized Mommy Blogs are the coolest websites. I love to be organized and feel organized, but, that doesn't mean I am. Even though, I do try.

Organize Your Life -by The Organized Mom and sites like it are so cool. This one is just five dollars a month. You can organize your daily routine along with your meal planning and appointments, and even your chores. I just signed up for it, still trying to input everything. It can look a little overwhelming but you can do a video tutorial. I feel good already knowing I'm on my way to being organized.

DIY Decor Accent Pieces

I have been wanting some of those accent decor balls (I have no idea, what they are really called) for a while, but, they can get pretty pricey. Here is a cheap version. I took some twine and two different size styrofoam balls and wrapped them with the twine. I added a dot of hot glue every 2 to 3 inches. On the one that has a black tint to it, I took black spray paint, and lightly spayed the twine before I wrapped it. I will say, it was time consuming, but, considering the price difference, I think it is worth it.

There is always a cheaper way.

DIY Lamp Shades

This is a photo of a lamp in the laundry room.(laundry room update coming soon) I already had this lamp and it had a brown shade, which didn't match.

What is a girl to do?

SHOP!

Still trying to keep it cheap, I found this black shade for six dollars.

It does match, but, it really wasn't what I was wanting for the laundry room. Soooo... I kept it like that for a few days, and then I couldn't take it anymore. I had to do something.

I had to think outside the lampshade.

I can't believe how awesome this turned out. I didn't even know you could do this to a lampshade. Here's what I did.

I had some scrapbooking paper that had these designs on it. Ashlyn and I cut out each design that was on the paper, then I glued the pieces of design on the inside of the shade.

Ashlyn and I literally jumped up and down when we saw the results.

After our mini workout,(every little bit helps) I started thinking of all the stuff we could do.

I just had to do another lamp. Did you know you could buy lamps at the Dollar General store for ten dollars? I had no idea! Anyway, I got this lamp at the Dollar General store for...you guessed it, ten dollars. Then I printed out the monogram M and glued it to the inside of the shade.

I ♡ this lamp.

Girls, I could not stop! Here is one more. I let my daughter help me with this one, since it is for her room. We drew different size circles on scrapbooking paper, then cut them out and glued them on the inside of the shade. Then added some ribbon, bows, and buttons. She loved it, and it does look adorable in her room.☺

Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

This is my favorite dressing, and since it's the day before Valentines day, I thought I would share it with you. Doesn't it look so pink and pretty? I made this for a ladies luncheon and they loved it! I normally make this in the summer, when the berries are in season ;-)

But I thought it looked very Valentine-ish.

Here is the recipe, hope you enjoy it, and have a Happy Valentines Day!

Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

6 strawberries

1/3 c. raspberry vinegar

1/3 c. sugar or agave

4 drops of liquid stevia

1/4 c. onion

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c. canola oil

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. poppy-seeds

1 garlic clove

All rights reserved to MyPearfectLife.com™

Add all the ingredients to your blender and puree until smooth.

enjoy!

Snow Day!

Its hard to believe this was our first big snow of the year. (7 to 10 inches depending on how close to the water you are;)

It also was Ashlyn and Bubby's first snow day this year. They loved that school was out.

They almost gave me a heart attack, when I saw them jumping on the trampoline in the snow, with NO net! But, I had to take a picture first. Yes fellow bloggers I thought of you first on this one:)

Bub & Sis had so much fun in the great cold Tundra, while I enjoyed the warm embrace of my home on the inside. I could tell you I did something productive, I really could..... but it would be a lie. I did NOTHING & loved every minute of it;-)

Homemade Valentines

You can't have a Valentines party without cookies, icing, and sprinkles...Yummmmy!!

These are the Valentines Ashlyn and I made for her Valentines party at school. I think they turned out so cute! You can download free Valentines cards @ http://www.livinglocurto.com/

A Simple Cabinet Makeover

I have lived in this house seven years. In this seven years I never decorated the top part of my cabinets. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how to decorate them but, I knew it was time. I started doing some research on the computer. You know me, I don't like to spend a lot of money, so here is what I came up with.

I had some berries, a small trunk, and a small coffee picture. Basically, I just put up there, what ever I could find, that I wasn't using.

I had a couple of things that was to tall, so I just laid them on there side. (simple simple simple) I had a 8x10 picture frame, I took out the photo and removed the glass and stuck it up there.

I love this joy sign, it was a gift from a friend. Add a little greenery and its picture perfect.

I think it looks great! Some decorators say you shouldn't use fake greenery, I disagree, I think in some cases its just what the doctor ordered. It adds color, it's a great filler, it's cheap, and you can't kill it. Power to the greenery!!

I have to say, all in all, it looks much better with decor than it does without.

The main thing to remember, is to keep it simple, fun and the most important thing is that you like it;-) Have fun with this one and let me know how it turns out.

Send me a pic and we will share your success with the world;-)

The Hip Hostess Apron

I'm totally in Love with this apron, I feel so girly in it and I adore the pattern. I purchased the apron at The Hip Hostess , Check out there site! They have a great variety of awesome aprons and from order to in my hands,... 3 days.

How cool is that!!! & If you sign up for their e-mail you get a five dollar off coupon, woohoo!

I will be buying more for sure ;-)

What I've Been Up To This Past Week;)

Inside/Outside

My front porch needs work! Since the super bowl party was at our house, I needed something fast. This is what I came up with, it's an inside/outside idea that works but you know me I can't leave anything alone, soooo... we'll call this one a work in progress ;) I'll keep you updated. But for now this will have to do.

Kitchen Chalkboard

Another chalk board. When I get a can of spray paint in my hands, WATCH OUT! I'm spraying everything. I don't know when to stop! It's kind of a joke around the house, when the family sees me with a can of spray paint, there like "uh-oh moms got paint, quick! Hide all your stuff!"

I like to think it's my inner artists coming out. Back to the chalk board. This was a gold mirror, I just painted the frame black, and used chalkboard paint right on top of the mirror. It looks great in my kitchen.

Monogram Lamps

Don't you just love these little initial thingys? I put this one on the lamp switch. I thought it looked cute.

Laundry room Project

We also decided to paint the laundry room. This is before. The walls are chocolate brown, YUK! It was time for a change. I loved the laundry room over at Thrifty Decor Chick. (you go girl!) Her wall color is a soft yellow, very relaxing and warm. Believe it or not my handsome husband, found two gallons of unopened yellow paint in our basement, woohoo! We have no idea where it came from, but I'm glad we had it.

This is mid project so we still have a ways to go but going from brown to yellow is like night and day! So refreshing:) Btw. The window treatment is a black table cloth that found its true calling ;)

Mathematical Equation

Just a couple of dollar general specials + ribbon = "Loooove it!!!!!" (In my singing voice again:)

Hard Wood Floor

Did I mention the hardwood floor project!!! ;)

(In my very best Jim Carrey voice) "Some Body Stop Me" as my husband says PLEEEASE!!!

Big Game Food Police

Me and my friends making "Papaws Tacos" for the big game. Btw, you don't want to mess with the girl on the right, someone had already tried to steel a Taco before they were ready, and you don't want to know what happened to him, LOL!