The Giveaway For The Waterslide Bounce House Has Started!!!

The Giveaway for the Waterslide Bounce House started today!!! So get on over there to J. Leigh Designz and get your entries in... this will end on August 3rd. You can get more info on this inflatable and similar ones at Playhouse Bouncers.... they have some really awesome play equipment!

I really want to win this for my lil Steffie and my grandbabies.... they would love to play on this.... and I'm sure the big kids would love it as well. And as hot as it's been down here in the south the last couple of weeks.... whew!... we sure could use some fun water play!

Good luck to all of us hoping to win this amazing prize!!!

~A Lil Enchanted~

Steffie's Raggs Rockin' Kids Audition

Have you heard of this new PBS show aimed at preschoolers? We don't get it in our area yet but hopefully we will soon.... I think Steffie will love it. She loves anything musical... so I'm watching for it to come to our PBS stations.

Awhile back someone posted on their blog about auditions to be on this show. I've been meaning to send in a video of Steffie for a couple of weeks but I've been so busy I forgot about it. Fortunately I suddenly remembered today... and got her video audition sent in with about 9 hours to spare before the cut-off time! You can find out more about the show and send in your own child's audition video here http://www.raggscontest.com/rrks-countdown.php

We made her audition video a couple of weeks ago... she is just sooo cute... I hope she gets on this show... I think she'll have fun with it. She is a lil chatterbox... and her curly hair is natural... we call her "Curley Temple" and "Curley Top" ... and yes she likes Shirley Temple "because she has curley hair like me" is what she says...

Here is the clip I sent in for audition : )... I hope they don't mind the Dora content.... I just thought it was soooo cute and totally natural Steffie doing her own thing.



~A Lil Enchanted~

Music Monday - Rhiannon by Stevie Nicks

I wanted to share one of my favorite versions of my very favorite song with you all... I hope you enjoy it as much as I do... it always makes me cry. The first time I heard this version my love for Stevie was sealed.... I even named my oldest daughter after this song. This version of Rhiannon is from what is called "The HBO Special" among Stevie Nicks fans... but if you want to buy a copy of the whole show you'll find it under Stevie Nicks Live.... and it's only available on video cassette... it is currently out of print but you can still find it on the web. I hope someday Stevie will rerelease this amazing show uncut on DVD.

So here is Rhiannon from the 1982 HBO Special... sooo beautiful!

Lyrics

(The lyrics always change a bit with each different version)

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
and wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight
and who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
a woman taken by the sky.
Well would you stay if she promised to you heaven?
Would you even try?
And he says, "Rhiannon, Don't go."
And he says, "Rhiannon, stay."
And he says, "I still cry out for you.
Don't leave me, don't leave me."

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night.
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight.
And who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
a woman taken by the sky.
Well would you stay if she promised to you heaven?
Would you even try?

She is like a cat in the dark,
then baby, she is your darkness.
She rules her life like a fine skylark,
when the sky is starless.
Once in a million years a lady like her rises.
Oh no, Rhiannon, you cry, but she's gone
Your life knows no answer, Your life knows no answer.

Rhiannon....(4*)

She rings like a bell through the night.
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight.
And who will be her lover?
All your life you've never seen
a woman taken by the sky.
Well would you stay if she promised to you heaven?
Would you even try? Say, would you even try?

Rhiannon....(3*)

Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Your dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Your dreams unwind
And still it's hard to find, I know.
Your dreams unwind
And still it's a state of mind, I know
Dreams unwind
And still it's hard to find, I know
Dreams unwind
And still it's a state of mind, I know

Take me like the wind, child
Take me with the sky
Take me now
Take me like the wind, baby
Take me with the sky
All the same
All the same
All the same, Rhiannon
All the same
Baby, all the same
All the same

And he still cries out for her,
"Don't leave me now."

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

~A Lil Enchanted~

Only $2.5 Million????

So I'm watching the news yesterday and they're saying that Bernie Madoff will go to court today. I hope he gets the max for all of the people that he hurt. But what really got me was the bit about his wife Ruth.... apparently she *only* has $2.5 million left (poor her... huh??) and is now forced to take the subway rather than her limo??!! Really??? Poor Ruth (not!) What about those common folks like us who have never even looked inside a limo.... that might have $5 left to last us till the next paycheck which is over a week away.... been there... done that!!! You can't tell me that she had no idea what her hubby.... her best friend.... was doing. Oh and to *only* have $2.5 million.... lol... sometimes *we're* lucky to have $2.50.


And then it's on to Michael Jackson... they're doing further investigation into his death. I feel bad for his children and all that they will have to endure... and Lisa Marie Presley should know.... since her father Elvis lived and died similarly. I'm sure that Michael... like Elvis .... or his estate rather.... will make even more money after his death than he did in his life. They're talking about where to bury him and I agree that his Neverland Ranch would be a very fitting place.... since he really loved it so dearly.... but then they add that it would be a monetary venture... of course.... he has to keep earning money.... even though he's now dead... right??? Can we not just let someone rest in peace... even in their passing from this life... and remember them for the happy times they brought without trying to make more money off them? I guess not....

And then there was yet another celebrity passing.... things usually come in three's.... but here is #4.... famous pitchman Billy Mays died yesterday also at age 50. Now he's not a big celeb like Farrah... Ed McMahon or Micheal Jackson.... but most people think of him when they see those products he pitched... and I'm sure his family will miss him just as much as theirs will miss them.... he seemed like a very nice and normal guy who just happened to become well known for his selling techniques. Hopefully Billy, Farrah and Ed will be allowed to rest in peace... unlike Michael who must continue to work....


Well let's hope this week is a boring news week... all of these celebrity deaths are overshadowing the Iranian protests to their election sham.... and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan... and let's not forget dude over in North Korea who is out to get us...

~A Lil Enchanted~

My First Blog Awards!!! Thanks Stace!!!

Wow!!! I'm so excited... my first blog awards have been given to me from Stacey over at All Stace, All The Time !

If you're a newby like me and you don't know how this works here's what you gotta do:

The rules for these awards are:

1) To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

These are the blogs that I have chosen to give the awards to:

1) Jodi at Bargain Central

2) Storm at Confessions of a Psychotic Housewife

3) Fleetwood Mac News and Reviews

4) Sherri at Luv A Bargain!

5) Cher at Mama's Money Savers

6) Manic Mother.... Go Ezra!!!!

7) PJ at PJ's Prose

8) Really? (my so called life)

9) Not Always Charming

10) Russ at Grampy and You

11) Julie at Momspective

12) Cairelle at Magickal Musings

13) Stacie at The Divine Miss Mommy

14) Witchy Momma

15) Giggles and Dimples

These are all blogs that I've found interesting... entertaining... and/or informative. I found most of them through Entrecard and I hope you all enjoy them as well.

Thanks again Stace for my first awards!!!

~A Lil Enchanted~

Win An Awesome Waterslide Bounce House!!!!

Tuesday, June 30th will be the kick-off to the WATERSLIDE BOUNCE HOUSE Giveaway over at J. Leigh Designz and sponsored by Playhouse Bouncers!

The contest ends August 3rd so get over there as soon as possible to win this amazing treat for the kids.... and Mom...LOL

I know how much fun my lil Steffie and my grandbabies would love to play on this.... and I'm sure the big kids would love it as well. And as hot as it's been down here in the south the last couple of weeks.... whew!... we sure could use some fun water play!

Good luck to all of us hoping to win this amazing prize!!!

~A Lil Enchanted~

My Friday Frustrations....

1 - Hmmm... well I wanted to participate in this and vent my frustrations with the never ending pile of dishes that fills my sink. Myself (of course).... my husband.... and my 3 year old live here... along with my 20 year old daughter.... and just recently my 19 year old son just moved back in. Everyone eats.... but no one wants to lift a finger to do a dish! They just eat and then pile their dishes in the sink and leave them there. They assume I guess.... that since I'm a stay-at-home Mom that it's my duty to do their dishes. Now of course the 3 year old can't do hers yet.... but everyone else can! Why is it soooo hard to rinse the food off your dish that you just ate out of and put it into the dishwasher that is right beside the sink????

And... if someone else cooks anything.... that's even worse! Because then I have to wash the dishes and clean up the rest of the mess they made as well. I feel like all I do is wash dishes. Very little else gets done in the house because I spend hours in the kitchen washing dishes and cleaning up everyone else's mess. I constantly tell them to do their dishes.... they never do! I tell them "if you're gonna cook you have to clean up your mess".... they never do! I've even told them that if they leave their dishes in the sink they will find them in their beds later.... I guess they know I could not bring myself to carry out this threat... and not that my daughter would notice.... her room is a pit!

So before I go do yet another overflowing sink full of dishes left from last nights snacking and cooking I wanted to vent....

But then I found a new Friday Frustration....

2 - Trying to figure out how this Mr Linky thing works.... I figured out that I didn't have to add it here to do the Friday Frustation thingy but I would like to participate in some other ones like maybe Music Monday. So after at least an hour of trying to figure this out (time I could've.... should've been doing those damned dishes!) I still don't know how to do it. So if someone out there can or will take the time to give me Mr Linky For Dummies-type instructions it would be greatly appreciated.

Now I'm off to do the dishes before it's time for me to cook dinner and then do the dishes again!

~A Lil Enchanted~
( but not with dishes.... grrrrr)

More About Our Nashville Weekend....

Steffie had a great time twirling and singing in her adorable lil Stevie Outfit!


















I just can't believe that tomorrow will be a week already since we saw Fleetwood Mac in Nashville. Last week was so busy and hectic getting Sarah to Atlanta for her American Idol audition.... and then us leaving the next day to spend the weekend in Nashville. This week has flown by.... the aches in my body are finally easing.... and I think I'm finally getting back into the swing of things.... I needed a few days to recuperate from having fun... LOL... I guess that's yet another sign of getting older. Geez I would love to have the body and energy I had 20 years ago!

Seeing Fleetwood Mac on Friday night was just the beginning of our lil weekend getaway. It was great to hang out with our friends Cindy and Tim afterwards and have lunch with them on Saturday before they headed back home. I actually met Cindy and Tim..... and my husband .... OMG! 12 years ago ( I can't believe it's been that long ago) on AOL in the Stevie Nicks chatroom. That's right... I met my hubby and some of my very best friends online. That was such a magical time for us all.... the Wild Hearts... as we called ourselves.... I really miss those days of Stevie chats.... and staying up all night on the computer and typing till my fingers just could not function anymore. Cyn, Tim and my hubby of course... are the only ones I kept in touch with from those days.... but I will always remember the others and how much fun we had. It truely was a special time...

But back to our weekend.... we had dinner with a friend who lives in Nashville. Josh is actually someone that Adrian used to work with and even though I've met him before I never really got to talk with him. It was nice to have a chance to get to know him better. We had a really good conversation and he's a really awesome guy. I wanted to go on a ghost tour later.... but it was a walking tour and my feet, legs and back were hurting so bad I just didn't think I could do it.... it was also just really hot... even after dark it was hot and muggy and I just can't tolerate heat well at all.... so I had to pass up the tour. We ended up just going back to our hotel and going to bed early.... I told you I was getting old!








On Sunday we went to the Opryland Hotel.... if you haven't been there it's soooo beautiful! The enormous indoor gardens are just exquisite.... I could walk around in there for days and never tire of the beauty of it.... it's an amazing indoor paradise. If you are ever in Nashville you have to see this place! It's full of walkways.... trees and other plants... waterfalls... and even it's own lil river... complete with a boat you can ride on. There are 3 sections to the gardens.... each with it's own theme... one being the Delta Atrium with a New Orleans theme..... the buildings in that part are replicas of the French Quarter.




















On the drive back home I decided to make a game of counting signs..... I really hate long car rides so this kinda made the ride go by faster. It all started when I saw a Lake Winnepesaukah sign in Murpheesboro... I was soooo surprised to see it that far from Chattanooga.

Seeing this sign.... along with a conversation with Josh the previous night about the cheesy 70's tourist attractions.... Rock City and Ruby Falls inspired my lil game that brought us lot's of laughs on the way home. If you've ever driven anywhere in the south near Chattanooga you know there are tons of signs for these attractions along the way.... so I decided to count them all the way to Chattanooga. I counted.... 5 Lake Winnie signs




38 Ruby Falls signs including billboards and barns such as this one....








26 See Rock City Signs... also billboards and painted barns.... some in spots way back off the road.... 3 Incline signs (this attraction goes along with Rock City and Ruby Falls).... and only 1 sign for the Tennessee Aquarium



Oh the things we do to entertain ourselves.....

And thus ended our weekend getaway.... oh did I mention I walked into a trashed house??? No?.... well that's what happens when you go away for the weekend and leave 2 adult(?) children at home.... sigh....














~A Lil Enchanted~

Fleetwood Mac Rocks Nashville!!!!

We spent an amazing weekend in Nashville! I'm exhausted and happy happy happy!

We left Friday afternoon and drove up... checked into our hotel and got ready for an amazing night. Steffie and I got all dressed up in our "Stevie clothes" ..... devoted Stevie Nicks fans that we are... we just can't go see Stevie without dressing for it! Steffie looked so cute in her lil Stevie clothes. She was sooo excited to be going to see Stevie Nicks.... who she was named after.













The whole weekend went amazingly smoothe... we met up with our friends Cindy and Tim and drove to the show.... went right in and got our tickets from will call.... no problem getting Steffie in..... we were worried that we would have to dish out another $50+ bucks for a nosebleed ticket for
her.... but they let her right in.

We never even saw our seats which were supposed to be on the 7th row.... we walked down the stairs and right past the row our seats were on.... and staight up to the front of the stage where we stayed all night! Steffie loved it!.... I loved it!.... we had an amazing night!













Fleetwood Mac rocked Nashville! The show was just awesome! I danced.... and cried.... and sang... and laughed the whole night. Stevie sang my favorite songs.... Sara and Rhiannon.... my two all time favorite songs which my oldest daughter is named after.... lil Steffie is named after Stevie herself. Gypsy.... which always makes me cry.... it reminds me of my aunt who died when she was 12 and I was 11 (we were like sisters). Silver Springs.... a beautiful and heartwrenching song.... and even a favorite that they have never performed live before this tour.... Storms. During Rhiannon Stevie soooo went into her own lil world.... doing her spins and wailing.... just like back in the day.... like I haven't seen her do in years.... she was just soooo beautiful!








This night will go into my lil memory file of the best nights in my life.... right behind the last time I spent the night at Stevie's feet in Charlotte NC back in 2001. I never in my wildest dreams thought either of these nights would truely happen for me. And at this point I soooo needed this very special night... after our year from hell... and the several more preceding it that weren't so great either. Even 2 months ago I would not have dared to even think about seeing Stevie live again.... and especially not about being right up front close to her. It was just something I would not let myself think about because it would make me so depressed to know I was missing Stevie and Fleetwood Mac yet again.













I've been a Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac fan for 30 years.... since I was 15 years old. Their music has been there for me to get me through all the tough times... the heartbreak of the teenage years.... many years in an abusive marriage... my escape from that prison.... and I finally found my wonderful husband who is also a Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac fan. I've named my children after Stevie and my favorite songs.... celebrated with their music.... and cried my eyes out from a broken heart with their music.... they have been their with their music through it all...
In Stevie's words from Storms.... "never have a been a blue calm sea.... I have always... been a storm...."

Lil Stephanie Lynn.... rockin it out with Stephanie Lynn Nicks! We did everything.... short of actually putting her up on stage.... to get Stevie to see her. When Stevie says she can't see.... she really means it! LOL Hopefully she got the photo of Steffie that I sent backstage for her : )



Rock On Gold Dust Woman!.... until next time... "when I see you again".... your music will always be in my wild lil heart.....



~A Lil Enchanted~

Sarah's American Idol Adventure

Well... Sarah didn't make it to the next round of auditions. I just talked to her very briefly and she's on her way home. But at least she had the experience and hopefully she had fun. She did get to do a good interview on camera this morning so maybe that will get aired.

American Idol or not... we know that Sarah has a special talent all her own and we love her!

~A Lil Enchanted~

Sarah.... American Idol Update

Thank you all soooo much for your well wishes! It really means a lot!

Sarah made it to Atlanta at around 4:00 a.m. She is registered and has her bracelet and seat assignment for auditions tomorrow and has checked into her hotel. She has to be there at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow but she plans to be there by 3:00 a.m.

After doing much research on this process for her we've learned that this first audition is more like auditioning for a reality show rather than a talent show. So you have to be different and stand out... but not too different and appear wacky. Sarah has a very outgoing personality... she's loud and she has a rather different... shall we say... sense of humor... and as of yesterday she has PURPLE HAIR!

That's right... we dyed her hair purple before she left. We dyed it purple several months ago and it looked really good on her so we decided to do it again for this. Not many people can pull off purple hair... but it really does look good on Sarah... and it will certainly be different and draw attention.

So when American Idol airs next year.... look for the girl with purple hair!

These pics are from last time we dyed it purple... I'll add some of this dye job when she gets back.


~A Lil Enchanted~

I'm Sooo Nervous...

Sarah leaves late tonight to go to Atlanta for the American Idol auditions. I'm sooo nervous.... I wish I could go with her. Some friends are driving her down (it's about an hour and a half away) and I reserved her a motel room because she has to be there for 2 days.... registration on Wednesday and audition on Thursday. I've got all her paperwork printed out.... release forms, instuctions/rules, maps etc. So the rest is up to her. From what I've read though... it's not just based on singing talent alone... you have to stand out... but not too much... lol.... Sarah certainly has the capability and personality to stand out... and the singing voice... it's to find the right amount of standing out! We don't want blooper real... we want to make it to Hollywood week. Actually her goal is to make it to the top 5.



Wish her luck!!!

~A Lil Enchanted~

A Treasure Hunt....

On Friday morning I got detoured from the grocery shopping trip I had planned... but it was a good detour... to my favorite thrift store. It's called Cottage Treasures and it's in a lil house just down the street and around the corner from our house. Their prices are awesome! Shirts and Pants are $1... Dresses and Jackets are $2... and Coats are $3... books and videos are .50 - $1... and they also have toys and household items and electronics really cheap as well. I LOVE THIS STORE! It's what a thrift store should be! And the proceeds go to a children's home.

They had told me the previous weekend that they were having a yard sale but I totally forgot. So I was driving by (just happened to need to go to the post office so I had to drive past it)... and I saw the boxes sitting outside. When they have a yard sale they put out boxes and you can fill a plastic grocery bag up for $1. I was there for 2 hours and filled 9 bags!

Steffie filled a bag with toys... and played with other kids who were there with their Moms. This kept her busy while I rummaged through the boxes. It was sooo hot and I didn't have any water with me since I had forgotten about the sale... so we were very unprepared. I over heat very easily... and by the time we left my face was as red as a Valentine heart and I thought I was going to pass out or throw up or both. But I managed to do neither... and made it home to cool off with ice packs.. cold water... and cool air. Not having eaten breakfast didn't help the situation either... so after we cooled off we had a girly lunch at Krystal.... they have .99 kids meals! If you don't know what Krystal is you can check it out here Krystal I love my Krystals! We did eventually make it to the grocery store but we found so many awesome bargains at the thrift store yard sale... OMG!

Steffie is currently wearing size 3T and 4T... and she really doesn't need any clothes for now... she has a closet full... so I was focused on buying for the next two years. I buy ahead when I find cute clothes really cheap and put them away for her to grow into. I've always done this with my kids... and let me tell you it's great when your kids outgrow their clothes and you're flat broke... and you go take a box out of the closet and TA DA!.... they have clothes that fit! I wash the clothes and pack them into boxes according to size and season (Diaper boxes are great for this!)and I write it on the box so all I have to do is pull the box and unpack it and we're all set.

Here is what I got for my $9 !

For Steffie















1 bag of assorted toys
3 pairs of 3T shorts
3 Pairs of 3T Pants
3 3T summer shirts
1 3T nightgown















20 Size 5 winter shirts
7 Size 5 summer shirts
5 pairs of jeans Size 5
3 pairs of other pants Size 5
6 pairs of shorts Size 5
5 pairs of PJ's Size 4/5
1 dresses size 5
2 sets of winter hats and gloves















10 Size 6 winter shirts
2 pairs of jeans Size 6
2 pairs of other pants Size 6
2 pairs of shorts Size 6
2 pairs of PJ's Size 6
2 dresses Size 6
2 leotards Size 6
1 swimsuit Size 6
4 winter shirts Size 7
2 pairs of jeans Size 7

Now keep in mind that some of these clothes were from Gap, Old Navy and the Children's Place and some looked brand new!

For Sarah




















1 broomstick skirt
1 pair corduroys
1 halter top
2 belts
1 AWESOME pair of Boots!

For Adrian




















1 pair of navy pants
1 thick fleece pullover

For Hannah (my daughter- in- law)




















1 summer shirt
2 pairs of black pants
(one still had price tag of $35!)
1 AMAZING skirt! ( I wanted this sooo bad... it's a size 2! LOL... would probably fit on one leg!)

When I run across these bag sales I buy for everyone... if I see something someone would like and it's their size... I stuff it in a bag! So my family never knows what I'll bring them... lol

For Me




















3 pairs of black pants
1 broomstick skirt
1 winter sweater
2 summer shirts
1 pair of sandals

Not too bad for $9 and 2 hours in the hot sun huh?! I get such a rush when I find bargains like these! I'm sure I left a few items out... there was so much and we started going through it and sorting it out immediately. I got it all washed yesterday and finished packing it up today.




















~A Lil Enchanted~