NW Arkansas Party for the Cure!

Think Pink!
It’s time for my 3rd Annual Party for the Cure!!

Please help me raise money for
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Saturday, April 25th 2 PM
Southern Living at HOME party
**in my home - contact me for details**

Shop with your friends for a good cause!
If you bring a friend, you will both receive a gift!
Wear Pink and I will give you $5.00 off of your order!!!
I will have many current and retired items here for you to purchase –
PRICED TO SELL! (Starting at $5.00)
A donation of 10% of the retail sales from this Southern Living at HOME party will be made to our local Ozark affiliate in Memory of Larry’s sister Debbie.
Together, we can help eradicate breast cancer through the advancement of research, education, screening and treatment.

If you are unable to attend, I hope you will take a few minutes to check out the
April Only Spring sale Flyer. There is NO MINIMUM purchase required to take advantage of these specials! Quantities ARE NOT limited! At these prices, it is a great time to stock your gift closet. AND, these items count towards your $29.95 purchase to qualify for this month’s Specials. It just doesn’t get much better!

So that I can plan the snacks, please e-mail me,
Sherri Rice, Independent Consultant

Southern Living at HOME

American Idol: TOP 7 Results Show

Who is going home tonight? I have formed my opinions, and visited several of my friends blogs to discuss their thoughts with them today. That is the fun part about this show for me. Everyone has their favorites by now, and some of us have VERY strong opinions about them! Tonight we will get to hear Idol Alum Jennifer Hudson and Hannah Montana is in the house! You know the drill, **SPOILER ALERT** Come back later if you are behind on your DVR watching!

Ryan reminds us that The Save is in play for only two more weeks. Will the Judges use it tonight? The Finale is a little more than a month away. It seems like just yesterday we were listening to the try-outs! The Top 7 performed "Maniac" from Flashdance for their group number this week. In my opinion, it is a good thing they weren't being judged on that! Not so good for me.

Alright, let's get down to business! Dim the lights, we are building the Bottom 3.

1. Allison - SAFE
2. Adam - SAFE
3. Anoop is in the Bottom 3 for the third week in a row. You can tell he is getting frustrated. This surprises me, because I didn't think he was bad last night.

Jennifer Hudson performs "If this isn't Love". Such a pretty girl. She has had a roller coaster year. Loving the bling she is sporting on her fingers tonight. When the song is almost over, My Handsome Prince said he "Hoped the album didn't cost more than a dollar" Causing me to snort as I laughed until I had tears! My man, he has his moments.

Who will join Anoop? Dim the lights and we'll get back to it.

4. Kris and
5. Lil are asked to stand at the same time. Kris is finally told that he is safe, and Lil will join Anoop.

6. Matt (IS That a huge zit in the middle of his forehead?) and
7. Danny stand at the same time. I really dislike this drama that Ryan tries to build - just TELL US WHO IS SAFE!
Please.

Danny has not been in the Bottom three yet, and he is safe again this week. Matt joins Anoop and Lil .

When we are back from what seems like an hour of commercials, Ryan is going to give one of the three some instant relief. Anoop is sent back to the couch. So Matt and Lil have to wait until after Miley Cyrus sings to learn their fate.

Man! Those Quiznos Toasty Torpedo sandwiches look good! Only $4 - Cheap Lunch!

Okay Dim the lights, let's get to it. After 36 Million Votes, America has spoken and Lil is...

SAFE. Matt is singing for his life, while the Judges deliberate whether or not to use The Save.
And MUCH to my surprise, the Judges DID save Matt. That means that TWO Contestants will be sent home next week - AND it is DISCO week. Ouch!

So what did you think? Did America get it right? Did the Judges? Let's Discuss!

THIS! Is American Idol! Top 7

It's Idol Night! Tonight the theme is "Songs of the Cinema" with the great Quentin Tarantino acting as Mentor this week. This theme can be a bit scary - Big songs, BIG shoes to fill and the talent isn't always there to support the expectations. We are down to an hour show, so the Judge's will be giving their opinions in teams tonight. I guess they learned their lesson last week! Let's get this thing going! **SPOILER ALERT** Come back later if you haven't watched and don't want to know!

Allison is first tonight. She chose "I don't want to miss a thing" by Aerosmith. LOVE this song! She can usually sang, so this should be good! Um, kind of a shaky start for me. Not my favorite performance by Allison. Paula thinks she has a special sauce, Simon thinks it's BBQ? Simon said he thought she was the girls' only hope left in the competition. No Vote for me.

Anoop chose "Everything I do, I do it for you" by Bryan Adams. LOVE this song too! Quentin suggests to him that he "rough it up" a bit. Anoop listened to him, and I LOVED IT! This was one of my favorites, EVER from Anoop Dawg. Randy said "WOW! Anoop Dawg you have found your zone!" And Kara thought this was his best performance to date. VOTE!

Adam is next and is singing "Born to be Wild" from Easy Rider. You never know what you are going to get with Adam. He's back with the spikier hair and manscara. And the screaming. I loathe the screaming. Paula babbled something, but I think she liked it, Simon didn't think it was as good as some of his performances have been. No Vote for me.

Matt is doing another Bryan Adams song. "Have you ever really loved a woman" is another of my favorites. So far I didn't need to worry about their song choices! Matt started out really good with this song, and then it just went downhill. Randy said he felt like Matt fell down more than he won, and Kara pretty much agreed. No vote for me.

MY FAVORITE, Danny is next. Danny bought a guitar this week. He's going to learn how to play while they are on tour this summer. And he chose one of my favorite songs of ALL TIME! "Endless Love" brings back all kinds of good memories for me. sigh I think Danny has some good memories too, because you could feel his emotion as he sang. I loved it. LOVED. IT. Paula thought he started out a bit off, but about midway he hooked it and slayed the end. Simon thought it was good, but he was disappointed that he didn't do anything different. I LOVED IT - VOTE

Kris picked a song from a movie I had never heard of. "Falling Slowly" was a perfect song for him. Maybe it was because I don't have anything to compare it to, but I thought this was WOW! Really good job! Randy didn't think it was quite it for him, but Kara thought it was one of his best moments ever. VOTE

Last up tonight is Lil. She chose "The Rose". Hmm. A little scared for her. This was actually a pretty good performance. Poor Lil has struggled and I think it is do or die for her and she is feeling the pressure. Paula thought it was a beautiful lyric. I'm still not sure she was complimenting Lil with that comment though. Simon said he was annoyed and Lil tried to defend herself but we were out of time. No vote for me.

Top 3 tonight for me are Anoop, DANNY and Kris.

In trouble are Allison, Matt and Lil. I think Matt or Lil go home.

What did you think? Let's discuss!

Another Craft Project: Topiary

Happy Monday!
I hope you had a great Easter! We had a wonderful weekend. Got a lot of things done around the house, and shared a fabulous meal with my family. Mom had ham and potatoes - Yummy!

On a recent trip to my favorite project store - AKA Hobby Lobby - I spotted the most gorgeous topiary, EVER. Then I saw the price tag, and was certain I was reading that WRONG. Over $100.00 instantly put it out of my price range, even if it did ever make it to a Half Price sale, or a 40% off coupon. The things I loved about it were the iron base, and a Fleur Di Leis finial they had put on top.

I put my "thinking cap" on, and went to the 80% off aisle! I found two heavy iron candle sticks marked down to $6.00 and $8.00. NOW We're TALKIN'! Off to the floral department where I grabbed some of the green Styrofoam balls in two different sizes and a few kinds of moss. The silk bushes were 50% off and I found a fern that looked fairly realistic. Now I needed a finial, so off to the aisle with the drawer pulls, also 50% off. I couldn't find a Fleur Di Leis that would work, but for $2, I liked this one just fine! So for less than $30.00 I have enough materials for TWO topiaries! Much better price, and my Good Friend HGG (hot glue gun) has been missing me anyway! Here's what I started with:

I used Spanish moss on the larger ball that I will use as my base. Work in small sections, putting some glue on the Styrofoam and CAREFULLY place a handful of moss on it. Remember, it is called a HOT glue gun for a reason! :) But it also works the best. I tried the spray adhesive and it doesn't hold as well for this project. For the top ball I used a lime green Reindeer moss.


Once I had the moss glued on both of the Styrofoam balls, I had the Handsome Prince bring me in a stick from the yard. He whittled it a bit on each end to form a point, making it easier to stick in to the foam ball. I cut the silk fern apart, and stuck it in to the Styrofoam. I actually think I need one more, so that will be an outing later this week. To finish it off, I stuck the drawer pull on top!

One down, and one (the shorter one) to go! This is where I decided I had better glue this to the candlestick, because we were leaning just a bit. The picture below is after the glue.

I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. I'll finish the other one this week, and hopefully have after photos for you then!

American Idol: Top 8 Results

Frankie Avalon started the show out tonight. Ryan thought we should go ahead and carry this week's theme over to tonight. It seems that Simon's birth year is 1959 and Frankie had the hit "Venus" that year. They started out showing an old video clip, and before you knew there he was - Frankie in the flesh!

I guess I should issue my **SPOILER ALERT** Come back later if you want to be surprised about tonight's Results show!

Next we were treated to some behind the scenes footage of the Contestants making this week's Ford commercial. They all look like they were having fun! We also learned that Anoop is not a fan of the glitter. He only wore it because they made him! Okay! Dim the lights, Let's get to it.

1. ADAM - safe
2. KRIS - safe
3. ANOOP - Bottom 3

He has to squirm and worry while a bunch of people come out on stage. This is where I remind you once again that I RARELY listen to anything other than Contemporary Christian or Country music. The audience seems really excited that someone called FLO RIDA is about to perform. I would have spelled it Flow Rider, but the kind people at FOX put it right up there on the screen for me. Are they a group? Or is it just the guy with lots of back up? If Ryan had not said the name, I would have thought we were going to see a vacation video for the Sunshine State. All I know for certain is that if the "songs from the year they were born" theme didn't make me feel sufficiently old - this performance was the icing on the cake!

Bring down the lights, back to the results.

4. DANNY - safe YAY! Happiness!
5. MATT - safe
6. SCOTT - Bottom 3
7. ALLISON and 8. LIL. One is safe, the other joins Anoop and Scott on the stools. Allison is safe, and Lil has to join the boys on the other side of the stage.

Ryan asks Simon about "The Save" and if he thinks they may use it this evening. They can only use it once, and they only have 3 more weeks that it is good. (kind of humorous to me, The Save has an expiration date) Anyway, Simon says that there are one or two that they would consider using it on tonight. I'm guessing he was referring to Anoop and Lil.

Season 5 Contestant Kelli Pickler stopped by tonight. She is cute! I'm not sure I'm liking her new 'Do, but I wish I had that Bod! Not my Favorite performer, but she's cute. And she helped fill the hour.

Time to send one Contestant back to Safety. Ryan quickly puts Lil out of her misery and sends her back to the couch. So we're down to Anoop or Scott. Who is it going to be? There were 34 Million votes last night, and only 30,000 seperate these two. Gee, I bet that makes them feel better - NOT! Anoop is Safe, Scott is singing for his life.

I actually think Scott sang a little better tonight. The Judges were split 2-2, so Simon had to make the final decision and Scott is going home. He showed a lot of class. I am really conflicted about this. I was pretty sure he was going home, but it still makes me sad. He is very talented, but Scott isn't the American Idol. I hope that he has caught the attention of the industry, and can have a successful career.

That's it for this week! What did you think? Agree? Disagree? Let's Discuss!

THIS! is American Idol! Top 8

We're down to eight tonight. The theme this week is "Songs from the Year the Contestants were Born". This is always a fun week, and we are starting right off tonight with Baby pictures - OF THE JUDGES! And Seacrest. HA! Ryan is a redhead, who KNEW!? I never would have guessed that he colors his hair. (snicker snicker) It's only an hour show tonight, so I will issue my ** SPOILER ALERT** and warn you to come back later if you don't want to know about tonight's show. Let's get down to business!

Danny Gokey started us out tonight with a song from the year I graduated High School. I'm feeling really old admitting that! Danny was born on April 24, 1980. He chose "Stand By Me" by Mickey Gilley. I loved Urban Cowboy, but this song choice immediately made me nervous. And Danny stepped up and made this song his own! I've made it no secret that Danny is my Favorite, and I LOVED this performance tonight. The Judges all thought it was a great way to start the show tonight. VOTE!

Kris Allen was born on June 21, 1985. He chose the Henley classic, "All She wants to do is Dance". Good song, but I did not like this performance AT ALL. Kris has been winning me over the last few weeks, but tonight I had to get back on the fence. Judges didn't like it either. I like how Randy explained to him that HE got lost in the song. I hope he stays around a little longer, but I did not help his cause tonight. No Vote.

October 20, 1984 Lil Rounds came in to this world. Lil is her real name, named after her Grandmother Lily. Her Mom shortened it to Lil. She went with Tina Turner's classic "What's Love got to do with it" I thought this was MUCH BETTER than Lil has been the last three weeks, but the Judges still weren't pleased. I'm getting very worried for Lil. No Vote.

Here's some Idol Trivia for the books - Anoop Desai shares a birthday with DAVID COOK! They were both born on December 20, 1986. Anoop made points with me tonight, because he apologized for his reaction to the Judges criticism last week. He chose Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors". And I was completely surprised, but I LOVED it! Judges loved it. VOTE.

Scott MacIntyre was born June 22, 1985. He surprised me tonight because he did NOT play the piano, and he did play the Electric Guitar. "The Search is Over" is the song he chose. It wasn't good. This could be the final week for Scott. No Vote.

The baby of the group was next up. Allison Iraheta's birthday is April 27, 1992. Her Mother was worried when she was younger, because she talked ALL the time. She sang one of my very favorite Bonnie Raitt songs, "I can't make you Love Me". Very Good! VOTE.

Matt Giraud was born on May 11, 1985. He went with "Part Time Lovers" by Stevie Wonder. I can't remember a thing about this performance. I know I didn't vote.

Adam Lambert was born on January 29, 1982. It's been a "Mad World" ever since. Simon gave him a Standing Ovation. I can not, and will not deny that it was a great performance. I just can't vote for this guy.

So, my Top three tonight were DANNY, Anoop and Allison. I would guess that Lil, Scott and Matt are in the Bottom three, and I think we say Goodbye to Scott. What did you think? Let's Discuss!

AMERICAN IDOL: Top 9 Results Show

**Spoiler Alert** I'm about to tell you everything that happened on tonight's show. Come back later if you don't want to know yet!

36 MILLION Votes last night - another record! Ryan asked Simon who should be worried tonight. He responded (rather quickly) Anoop, Matt and Megan. I'm hoping Megan. We'll see in a little bit. The first performance tonight was the Top 9 doing the classic Journey song, "Don't stop Believin' ". One of my favorite groups, and songs. They did a good job with it!

The Ford commercial was pretty good again this week. Then we were treated to a short video of what the contestants do all week. They all seem to genuinely get along very well. They do impersonations of each other. Very FUNNY!

Okay, Dim the lights, here we go:

Ryan asks Megan, Matt and Kris to stand and move to the far side of the stage.

Adam, Lil (LOVE her outfit tonight), and Allison go to center stage.

Scott, Danny and Anoop form the third group near Ryan. He teases us that one of these three groups represents the bottom three. Who could it be? We will have to wait until after our current Idol, David Cook performs his latest single! I'm so excited for this - I LOVED Cookie last year! "Come Back to Me" is a great song, and after his performance Ryan presented him with a plaque representing his Debut album going Platinum! He has sold over a million copies in just three months - WOW!

Okay, Bring down the lights, let's get to it.

Kris - SAFE
Matt - take a seat. He thinks Bottom 3, then Ryan tells him he is SAFE
Megan - She tells Simon she doesn't care about his opinion. Ryan tells her she is in the Bottom 3, and she does some sort of chicken dance and that "Caw-ing" noise. Good Grief I hope this is it for her.
Lil - SAFE
Allison - Bottom 3
Adam - SAFE
Danny - SAFE (YAY! Happiness!)
Scott - SAFE
Anoop - Bottom 3

The next performer tonight is some chick named Lady Gaga (sp?) singing (Screaming) a song called Poker Face and it just made me feel old. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Ryan asks the Judges if they would consider using The Save on any of these three? Simon says only One of them. Alright let's find out who is going home.
Allison is Safe.
Anoop is

SAFE!

Which Means MEGAN IS GOING HOME! Thank you Jesus!! Simon told her when she said she did not care, nor do we. They will not consider The Save for her, so this is her swan song. She did graciously Thank everyone, and then got emotional when she said "Baby, Mama's coming home"

Next week the Top 8 will be performing "Songs from the Year they were Born". Should be a good one! So what did you think? Did America get it right? Who do you think is in trouble next? Let's discuss!