You know my husband? He's just a big ol' kid.

We made a mad dash to Walmart this morning for some last minute Christmas decorations. I head inside to finish up some weekend orders while the Baberhusband completes the lights outside the house from yesterday.

I go out to check on him...






















He wasn't in the front yard, so I head into the backyard. You should have seen his face when I rounded the corner and saw him in the clubhouse hanging lights. Very much a red-handed, you-know-what eating grin on his face!






















My husband is a big ol' kid at heart. Its one of the things I love most about him. His spontaneous, playful ways keep me balanced, make me take chances, keep me laughing until my face hurts.

This Christmas is extra exciting for us. Its not technically our first Christmas in the house... we were married only two weeks before Christmas last year, so the madness of the wedding, honeymoon and last minute Christmas shopping sort of left us with no time to decorate or celebrate. We headed into town the weekend after Christmas to purchase lots of lights and a tree at half price and vowed to make next year our official first Christmas in the house.

So far we're making the most of it. Literally, minute by minute.

And its not even December yet. :)

Thankful. Really.

So thankful that I forgot to post. Oops. (It was in my saved posts, ready for publishing, really!)

















Photo of sunrise from our honeymoon in Cancun. I remember being especially thankful for love on this morning.

This year I am thankful, for so many things.

• Family. And for their good health.


• Happiness. I've had more than my fair share lately, and believe me, I'm not taking it for granted.


• Slippers, pajama pants, and all comfy clothing in general.


• My husband, who keeps me grounded and yet laughing, constantly.


• Supportive moms and sisters - for without them helping me with my business, I would probably be checking into a nut house right about now.


• Being my own boss. Taking the day off when I want, or taking off for a long weekend without the stress of a paper-covered desk waiting for me is priceless.


• Etsy friends. My fans, my customers and other Etsy vendors. They are my kindred spirits and I love trading with them, both creations and stories.


• And last but not least, Mini Monster girls. My companion during the day. Without her, I would be talking to the walls.

What are you thankful for?

Gem Necklace Winner!

First I'd like thank all of you who entered into this giveaway. You are the women that keep me inspired and motivated to create!

And now for the winner...

Brooke, come on down! You are the winner of The Gem Necklace, one of my best sellers. :)
Winners of giveaways will be contacted about their win to avoid confusion.

Stay tuned for the next giveaway, which will be posted this week.

xo Jill

Wordless Wednesday: Melting from Happiness

iPhones: Good or bad for the married couple?

So. Baber and I got iPhones for our anniversary presents to one another. Cuz we're romantic like that.

The question is, will this keep us from spending quality time with each other? We're already on opposite ends of the sectional, one of us with a book, the other with the laptop, both looking up occasionally at the tv or each other to blow a kiss.

Do we really need the iPhones? Is it healthy for our relationship? I mean, technically we're still communicating... commenting on each other's Facebook statuses with smarty remarks, just a few feet away from each other. That counts, doesn't it?

We shall see.

Thanksgiving Drool

So, my husband and I have been dreaming of Thanksgiving dinner for a few weeks now. Fried turkey, stuffing, gravy... it got me thinking, could it get any better?

















Cajun Fried Turkey, photo courtesy of onthebayeaux.com.

How about a little sharing? How about I tell you what's usually on our Thanksgiving menu and you tell me what's on yours?

Fried Turkey
Gravy (usually with giblets)
Cornbread Stuffing
Rice Dressing
Sweet Potato Casserole
Cranberry Sauce
Rolls
and way too many dessert options!






















Cornbread Dressing, photo courtesy of countryliving.com

Some years we mix in potato salad and macaroni & cheese. Usually we have pecan pie, chocalote or lemon meringue pie, or some sort of ooey gooey squares.

This year we'll have our reunion on my Daddy's side. Imagine a room full of italians and you know we'll have a bunch of stinky food on the buffet table. So we'll likely have the menu above but throw in a huge italian salad loaded with olives, homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and a few other italian treats.

Now, what are YOU having?

Black Friday Sale Starts... well, yesterday.

Before I go rambling, let me remind you of The Gem Necklace Giveaway. You have until Friday to enter to win, and tons of ways to get multiple entries.

I played catch up yesterday on the blog, etsy shop and house. Still can't see a whole lot of change to the house, but its getting there.

I also had an open house at a new friend's home last night that turned my frown from Saturday upside down. I met some really fun ladies and did amazingly well, so well that the hostess ended up with a pretty little credit to my shop! What I once thought was a fat stock sure to keep me going through Christmas is now starting to make me wonder...

After a whirlwind of a weekend, I thought I'd start my Black Friday sale a little early. It goes a little something like this: 15% off EVERYTHING at Jillry. Yep, you heard right. 15% off your entire order. To receive, have a little fun shopping and type "Black Friday" in the message to seller at checkout. I'll then send you a revised invoice reflecting your discount.

A few newbies in the shop (click to bring you to my shop listing:

And there's tons more to take photos of and list, I'll put that on my to-do list somewhere...

Happy shopping my lovelies, you deserve the discount! I have the best, most loyal customers and for that I am extremely thankful.

xo Jill

Gravity

Still can't get enough of this song.



What song are you crushing on these days?

Brighten Up Your Walls

Though I've tried a few different color splashes on my wall, we've decided to stick with a neutral. Doesn't mean my rooms will lack color though.

A handful of pieces that are making me happy right now (click on photo for shop):

Today is the dreaded errand day. I'll be running the roads doing some much needed Christmas shopping, but must be home at a decent time for my trunk show this evening. Wish me luck!

Giveaway: Be sure to scroll down to the new post - I'm giving away The Gem Necklace so enter to win if you must have it!

Have a great Monday my lovelies!

xo Jill

Giveaway - The Gem Necklace

How about a little fun ladies? In celebration of the holidays, I'll be doing a few jewelry giveaways from my shop, Jillry. Let's start with The Gem Necklace.

This long necklace just radiates with fall color. Gorgeous faceted beads in shades of red, blue & amber on antique brass chain. Perfect for turtlenecks!

How can you win this necklace? You have several ways to enter. Each way listed below will get you additional entries. There's even a way to win an additional 10 entries!

The winner of this giveaway will be announced on Friday, November 27th. Be sure to leave your email address on your comments so that I can contact you.

1. Leave a comment noting two of your favorite items from my shop.
2. Follow my blog. (See sidebar.)
3. Blog about this giveaway. Send me the link please.
4. Place & link my button on your blog. (I'll gladly grab your button & link yours in return! Just leave your url.)
5. Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JillrybyJill. (If you already follow me, you will receive this extra entry. Just comment that you already follow.)
6. Twitter about this giveaway.
7. Join the Jillry Facebook Fan Page. (If you are already a fan, you will receive this extra entry. Just comment that you are a fan.)
8. Announce this giveaway on Facebook with a link to this post.
9. Email two or more friends about this giveaway. CC me at JillryLove@gmail.com.
10. For 10 additional entries, make a purchase at Jillry between now and Friday noon.

Please leave a comment with each entry. And again, please leave your email for winning notification.

Good luck everyone!

A weekend of disappointments

This weekend was a like a punch to the stomach. Disappointment after disappointment.

The craft show was awful. Friday night I did really well, cleared out a lot of my stock and gained some new fans. Yay! Saturday morning I woke up and the roof caved in...

Not only was it freezing all day, it rained constantly and left us with a river in front of my area of booths. We actually heard people say "We can't go in there, how are we going to get across that yuck?" My poor mother froze her tush off. I was running on only a breakfast of cold nachos, and if you know me at all you'll know I can be a monster if not fed properly. The staff was less than accomodating. While most of our neighbors were nice, we had a booth full of catty, super snobby girls on the side of us. I had a very loud conversation with my mother about how it was a shame that some of the vendors were so snobby, how fellow crafters should be supportive and friendly to one another... because you just never know who you're being snobby to.

I was miserable. I won't be going back.

The rest of today proved to be disappointing as well. People that expect you to be their shoulders, their ears, suddenly disappear when you need their support. People that love to make a quick jab at you when you're down but never say congrats when you've done well. I won't be expending my energy on those so-called "friends" any longer.

I don't mean to sound melodramatic, but there was much more disappointment that I'm just not comfortable sharing. I feel emotionally and physically drained by it.

Hopefully the rest of the weekend will be better. I have a trunk show on Monday that I'm really looking forward to. For now, I'm signing out. I'll be back when I have a more uplifting post to share.

Night friends.

Thursday Thirteen

This morning I'm curled up on the couch reading old posts (yes I'm lame) and I stumbled upon a Thursday Thirteen. I read and clicked on another. *gasp* I forgot how much I adore lists! When I lived at the apartment, I wrote lists constantly. Kept them all over the apartment. Drove Babers batty. Now the only list I have is our grocery list.

Lists are theraputic for the obsessive compulsive mind. Therefore starting TTs up again is only helping me..... right?

Thirteen reasons why I love this time of year

1. The Baber Furnace. J has an incredible amount of body heat at night which he insists on sharing with me, and at this time of year it really comes in handy. He has freakishly cold feet, but I can overlook that because his huggy wuggy arms keep the Baberwife warm at night.

2. Gumbo.













Kind of a weird choice mid-July in 100 degree weather. As soon as we get the first cold front, I'm going over in my head whether I want to make chicken and sausage gumbo or seafood gumbo.

3. Sweaters. The big soft snuggly kind. If J let me have a Snuggie, I'd wear it in public. I just love wearing fuzzy sweaters with sleeves are long enough to tuck my hands in, or cowl necks that cover your face from the nippy wind.

4. Camping.

Our usual camping group went last weekend and had a blast. Not so much fun in warm weather. We brought the camper and opened the windows... the only thing better would have been sleeping in a tent under the starry sky, but J prefers camping in the camper. *snort* (I am so getting a whipping over that one.) Click here to see our first camping trip.

5. Fires.

No, I'm not a pyro, but put me in front of a fire and I zone out. Zombie style. Don't try talking to me, I ain't listening. When I would visit J in Oberlin he would start the fire and let me spruce it up. There's something very theraputic about building a fire, and its comforting and makes you feel safe.

6. Pajama pants. Okay so I wear these year round, but I *need* them more in the winter. We keep the temp in the house at a ridiculously low number, so I stay in pj pants during this time of year. Especially heart the fuzzy flannel ones. Which I'm down to only one pair of. Hint hint. I wear mine to the point of them ripping and still walk around in them, tripping and almost busting my face. J literally has to make me throw them away.

7. Hot chocolate. With milk. Enough said.

8. Outdoor activities. The cool air of fall always gives me a new found energy. Summer is great and all, but it just zaps the life of me sometimes. Every time I take Mini into the back yard I eye the leaves all over the ground. Do you know how badly I want to run through them? And for some reason I feel like I need a soccer ball.

9. I get to ignore my toenails. You should see mine right now, the paint is so old I have a little moon cresent of color covering the very tip of them. I know, not attractive, but its the last thing on my to-do list right now and at least I can hid them in boots.

10. I don't feel guilty about my dirty car. I love her and all, but I wash her only like... never. During this time of year, well, its just too cold to and I can let go of one more thing to feel guilty about. Cuz we all know I have issues.

11. Thanksgiving! Yes, that deserves an exclamation mark. And I'm not just thinking about the food (though its definitely a front runner). In November we are reminded of how thankful we should be, and I relish in that. Its a shame we don't give thanks every month.

12. Christmas!!

Love it more than #11, therefore its gets two marks. (Shut it.) Family time. Good food. Showering my loved ones with presents. Watching the kiddos rip open their presents and squeal. The tree! Christmas morning! (Sorry, I'll try to keep the marks to a minimum from now on.)

13. And now, this time of year makes me think about our life as a married couple. December 13th will make one year for J and I. ONE YEAR. Already. Wow. I feel like I've waited for this all my life and now its just flying by, all the while me screaming "SLOW IT DOWN BUSTER, I need to remember this."

Click here to play along. Comment if you have a TT so I can come read yours! What are your reasons for loving this time of year?

Giveaway Sneak Peek

Just a little peek at a giveaway I'm doing after the weekend. I need to regain my sanity after the big local show I'm in and THEN I can focus on spoiling you guys with more deals and freebies.

The Gem Necklace. Sparkly. Sessy. Great with any fall wardrobe.

Recipes Around the World

I'm almost always looking for a new recipe, especially new ways to cook chicken. In this segment of Recipes Around the World, Rhonda of Louisiana shares her super easy go-to chicken recipe that her family loves. Enjoy!

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Name: Rhonda St. Martin
State: Louisiana
Hometown: Baton Rouge (Brownsfield)
Three words to describe yourself: Loyal, Caring, Mother
Recipe: Parsley Parmesean Chicken


Parsley Parmesan Chicken

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
2 pounds chicken fryer parts (I use whatever I have on hand)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray

Pour salad dressing into a large bowl. Add chicken, coating well.
Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight, turning chicken occasionally.

Combine Parmesan cheese and next 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Roll chicken,one piece at a time, in crumb mixture. Coat a 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking pan or a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place chicken in pan, and spoon excess dressing over chicken.

Bake uncovered at 350° for 1 hour or until chicken is done. Serve immediately or package for freezer.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Review: This is so YUMMY that I cook up a double or even triple recipe.

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Want to share a recipe from your neck of the woods? Leave a comment with your email address or email me at JillryLove@gmail.com.

Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Taco

Damask Love

You all know how completely obsessed I am with damask print. An item I'm crushing on, compliments of JuliaSherryDesigns.





















Click the clutch to visit and snag yourself one of these hot little numbers.

xo Jill

Super Mommyness

I grew up under the arms of a SuperMom, a woman who had three children, a full time job teaching English at the same school we attended and had a part time gig selling make up, all while being able to juggle homework, meals, after school activities and family fun. Because of this, I've always been intrigued by other mommies and how they manage to get through the day.

Starting today, I'll be doing Super Mommyness once a month, a feature on mothers and their tricks of the trade. If you want to be featured, simply shoot me a message at JillryLove@gmail.com.

And now, on to our first Mommy!


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Name: Christy Woest Atkinson

Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA

# of Children: 3 by birth, 2 of the heart...ranging in ages from 8 months-9 years.

Occupation: After 9 1/2 years teaching preschool, finally able to be a stay at home mommy!

What's a normal day like for you?

I know that most think us SAHMs watch Oprah and eat bon bons all day, well sorry to burst your bubble but it is Wife Swap we watch, Oprah is soooo 2000. Seriously, what is considered "normal"? Every day here is quite the adventure. For example, today it is the adventures of "make sure the laundry is done before mildew sets in".

What are some holiday treats your kids love that are cost effective for a large family?

Since my oldest started preschool, we have been making "chocolate PRENTZELS" for the holidays. They are super easy, super cheap, and look so cute in those little snowman shape gift bags when we give them as teacher gifts!

Favorite place to shop for gifts during the holidays?

Anywhere there is a sale, that's where! I am all about a coupon and free shipping online! I can't say that I have a favorite. I start making my LIST early on, then keep my eyes on the ads and online. For example, Old Navy offers great deals for cardholders this time of year. A couple of weeks ago they had the "stuff n save" sale, I got 50% off my entire purchase and 10% off all December purchases....plus rec'd a $20 coupon in the mail. Woo hoo!

How do you cope when the to-do list is piling up?

Cope? There is no "cope", you just "do"!

Any tricks for quick meals during the week?

SLOWCOOKER! I have discovered that it helps me keep my sanity, and my family is ever so grateful for it. Sure helps not to have to start prepping dinner during homework time...

How do you escape or unwind?

I fill up my ginormous soaking tub, grab a book, and hideout for as long as they let me.....

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Back by popular demand

I've always wanted to say that. :)

Visit Jillry to purchase.

Don't wait till it's too late: email me at JillryLove@gmail.com to receive Santa's Secrets, a mailing sent out every Sunday filled with secret specials, discounts and new products.

xo Jill

Sunday Stealing

Found this interesting little meme over at Mom's place. I'm winding down from a long weekend of camping and thought I'd participate. Leave me a comment if you do this too so I can come check it out!

Take Part in Sunday Stealing


Sunday Stealing: The Over the Top Meme

Part One - Describe:

Your hair? Short auburn inverted bob

Your mother? Creative, caring, fun

Your father? Strong, silent, Italian

Your favorite food? Fajitas

Your dream last night? Oddly enough, about my fleur de lis earrings

Your favorite drink? Diet Dr Pepper

Your dream/goal? I'm living my dream - designing jewelry for a living!

The room are you in? living room

Your hobby? photography

Your fear? heights

Your TV? 52" flatscreen, obnoxiously large

Your Pets? rat terrier mix, the Mini Monster

Friends? handful of friends, but only one or two really true ones

Your life? I'm loving it!

Your mood? happy, even though I'm pooped from camping

If you're missing someone? I tend to blog about it

Your best friend? my husband of 1 year, friend of fifteen

Part Two - The Where's?

Where do you want to be in 6 years? with my husband and maybe a mini-us in the home we've built, still designing jewelry for a living

Where were you last night? camping under the stars at Camp Livingston

Where did you grow up? right where I am now, in Central, a small town in Louisiana

One place that I go to over and over? Hobby Lobby

Your favorite place to eat out? Sammy's Grill

Wish list items? rolling jewelry case, custom jewelry table with built in shelving for my beading materials, ruby toned faceted studs for my second earring hole, kitchen island

Last time you laughed? just earlier today, my husband makes me laugh constantly

Last time you cried? got a little teary-eyed last night holding a friend's dog, I missed mine :(

Part Three - The What's?

Something that you aren't? fake, bossy, blond, mean

Last thing you did? unloaded our camper

What are you wearing? old tshirt & jeans

Something you're not wearing? jewelry. *gasp* I know...

Your favorite store? Hobby Lobby

Lovers Kisses & such

More photos yo. Just a few taken before a night out last weekend with friends. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera around with me all night so I just have a couple of silly ones to post...

including a lover's kiss photo:















Baber and I have always taken kissie face photos, but I haven't been toting the camera around like before. Glad I got one in before the year is over. ;) Here's a lovers kiss blast from the past (turn away now if you have a weak stomach):

The ever elusive Baber smile next. Can you believe it? It wasn't even begged for, he was just having that good of a night! (That photo scares me a little. Man, I love him.)

I finally claimed another piece of Jillry to keep for myself. (Blogger is being impossible today, excuse the sideways photo.)

The Locket of Love on. *sigh* Heart this one.

Off to put a little TLC on the huge pot of chili I'm cooking right now for camping this weekend. Heading to our favorite spot, Camp Livingston in Pineville for some 4 wheeling, fire building and marshmallow roasting.

Have a great weekend y'all!

xo Jill

Spooky or Kooky?

It seems like I'm always playing catch up with photos on this blog. Yet, I can't not post the Halloween pics. Usually I just throw on something I have in my closet and "make" it a costume. We actually purchased costumes this year online, and though there were a lot of alterations, it allowed me to play with a different side of my creativity which is always fun.

The Baberhusband. Samarai! (He badly wanted a sword...)


















I know, I look creepy. I'm fully aware. Mwahaha. Why didn't I pick a prettier character is beyond me. For most women, Halloween is the best opportunity to dress their sleaziest and get away with it. I end up at the farthest end of that spectrum. One year I was Dracula's bride. The blood alone would have made any man run screaming.

The Bauers' Haunted Shop. They go all out every year, fully decorating Tim's man cave with spooky decor. There's even a friend who dj's, bringing his full sound system with him. Kristy Lou walks around with a tray of goodies at one point - my favorite part of the night - whether it be jello shots or brownies, it always hits the spot.

Wynette & Mikelas, our 70's couple. Mike was dangerous with that afro. More costume photos below.

See that wig? I ordered it off Amazon and it was GROSS. After a visit to Hobby Lobby and a purchase of some fake flowers, it looked less a wad of dog hair and more like a geisha wig.

Isn't Wynette cute?

The host & hostess of the evening. See what I mean? Kristy looked beautiful and I've got a face full of white makeup and half lips. :)

The scarecrow, samarai and, err... the half man-bride. This was another creepy costume. Only Brad could play this one off. Last year he was Beetlejuice and let's just say he didn't half ass it.

That's all for now folks. I'll try to post photos of the kiddos trick or treating later.

xo Jill

Olive you, too

Last week my very first treasury made it on Etsy's front page. My second treasury, Olive you, too has been featured on the S&O blog! How exciting is that? The girls over at the S&O blog are super cute and have some other great treasuries featured as well that I'm honored to be posted with.

You can view my treasury here: Olive you, too. I have to admit, since my friend Nicole has "shown me the ropes" of treasury snagging, I've become a bit addicted. But like most things, I run my newest obsession into the ground until I've found something new to be obsessed with. Let's hope this one hangs around a while, its a great way to express creativity with other's handmade lovelies: therapy for me, advertising and support for other Etsians!

New and exciting things have been happening for Jillry as of late. Two boutiques are purchasing from Jillry in bulk and my latest Jillry home parties have been a great success. I just want to pinch myself, I can hardly believe it.

I still haven't posted Halloween photos and I also have some silly Baber photo fun to share as well. Coming soon, I promise!

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. Does it feel like Monday for you as well?

xo Jill

My Treasury made the front page!!!

It posted at 4 am, but hey, the front page of Etsy is the front page of Etsy... *beam*

A little catch up

A few things to share...



















Click here to check out my current treasury on etsy. It features beautiful handmade treasures inspired by fall, such as cowl neck warmers, pillows in fall colors, pumpkin shaped pottery and pretty hair pins.

Recipe Review:

So I tried out the recipe from Paula Deen and I must say, it's not what I expected. I thought *creamy* *cheesy* *rich* but it was none of the three. After tossing in some extra melted cheese and seasonings, it became better, but I'm still wishing I had cut the recipe in half - we could be eating this for a month!


A sick husband:

My husband had jury duty on Monday and Tuesday and came home to me, sick. Why I oughta... Neither of us get sick often - knock on wood - so I knew he caught something while there.

I'm a worry-wart, its my nature, but I'm amazed at how much of a mother hen I am when he gets sick. He didn't sleep much last night, so when the alarm went off at 5:40 am he immediately got up instead of snuggling me. Sad and worried, I went into Mom Mode: What does he need? How can I make it better? While he chugged orange juice I made his lunch, giving him promises of chicken noodle soup tonight. What attacks a cold better than homemade soup, right? Then a hot cup of hot chocolate for his throat and he was off to work. I only gave him a couple hours before I started texting him, calling him to see if he was better.

AM I GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE CRAZY MOMS???? *sigh* I hope not...

That's all for now. I've got so many posts to catch up, including Halloween photos and such, so stay tuned!

xo Jill