Hi guys! Sorry for the late post (internet issues…again).

You’d think I’d stop being surprised at how fast the weeks are slipping by considering that I pretty much start every Friday post with some rendition of, “Whew! This week has FLOWN!”

But last night, I said to my husband (while we were on a mini-date with no children—Thanks, Mama!): “These past 6 months have been the fastest of my life.”

And he said, “They all seem pretty fast to me.”

Which, of course, immediately flooded my mind with images of us all old and tottery, surrounded by legions of great-grandchildren.

It was kind of a nice moment. And then I snapped back to the present and said, “Okay, well, we gotta go feed babies.”

Ah, yes. Real life again.

Speaking of….life was most definitely real this week (did you see yesterday’s muddy post?), and it was fun. Spring Break is such a good idea (as a former high school teacher, I’ve always thought so), especially when it brings visits from one of your dearest, longtime friends when her spring break happens to line up with yours.

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{Pardon the not-so-great cell phone pic}

I’ve known Kiki (real name: Kathleen) since I was 19, and we’ve stayed fast friends ever since, even though she now lives in New York state and rarely gets to visit. She’d never even met Della, it had been so long. But Della warmed right up to her “Aunt Kiki.”

Don’t you just love the kind of friends that you can go years without seeing and still feel completely comfortable with the next time you get together?

I know I do.

And you know what else I love? A good giveaway. And, boy, do we have a good giveaway today!

But first, let’s take care of business from our last good giveaway.

Without further ado, the winner of $75 Shabby Apple credit is:

JAMIE MANN

{Check your email for a note from me, girlie! : )}

Okay, so what have we got today?

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Well, remember our Helzberg diamond giveaway from Christmas? Yup, I’ve got another one for you! Today, you have the chance to win these gorgeous, sterling silver and diamond vintage-inspired earrings!

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Yippeeeee, right?

Here’s what to do (both are required for entry):

1) Finish the following sentence for me: “My favorite jewelry is __________________ because_________________.”

2) Fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 And now for last week’s features. You guys made it especially hard on me, and I got a little carried away, but I could have kept going! Awesome job, guys!

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1. Banana cream pies in a jar from Inside BruCrew Life

2. Master Bedroom Reveal from Crazy Wonderful

3. Creamy Cinnamon Apple Dip from Optimal Living

4. The Easter Story Printables from It’s Overflowing

5. DIY Polka Dot Jeans from Domestic Bliss Squared

6. DIY Easter Pots from Decorate with a Little Bit

7. Bunny Cinnamon Rolls from Joyful Homemaking

8. Turquoise Media Stand from Picked and Painted

9. Chocolate Mint Cheesecake from Please Give Peas a Chance

10. DIY Polka Dot Leggings from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

11. DIY Sofa Table from Turtles and Tails

12. World Market Easter Table from Kathe with an E

If you’ve been featured, feel free to grab a button from the left sidebar and brag about it, and as always, I’d love for you to grab the party button as well (or a text link is good too : )).

Oh, and you can always find me around these parts too:

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest

And now, it’s time to link up!

0 Comments

  1. This is Kiki, though I am posting an “anonymous” because I am so technologically challenged these days! Thankful, too, for my friend who stays a friend no matter the distance and time. 🙂 (Plus I get to hug and hold lots of kids now!)

  2. My favorite jewelry is my wedding set, and the diamond earrings my hubby got me for our 10th anniversary. He had to have them custom made because my engagement ring is marquis cut and I always wanted earrings to match. Apparently they don’t exist, but I have some!

  3. I have two favorite rings. The first is my wedding ring, which we picked out together and paid $100.00 for… 24 years ago. Still married! The second one is a sapphire & platinum ring that my grandmother gave me. She had the stone reset from a ring that belonged to HER grandmother.

  4. My favorite jewelry is my Map of Africa ring that my handsome man bought for me, and “sisters forever” necklace. Because sisters are the best, of course!

    Nicole

  5. My favorite jewelry is my wedding set because my hubby picked it out all on his own! (And it’s the only nice jewelry I own 🙂

  6. Let’s take a moment and talk about HOW FREAKING PERFECT these earrings would be for my wedding. I mean, it’s like they were designed to go with my dress. Really. I gasped when I saw them and nearly choked on my own excitement.

    My favorite jewelry is my engagement ring (SHOCKING, I know…) because Jesse was really intentional about the ring he choose. The diamond is from Israel and the band has a wheat design to signify our family identity. ~swoon~

    One day I’m going to wreck my car because I catch myself staring at it while I drive. It’s going to happen, I know it.

  7. My favorite piece of jewelry is the cross necklace my husband gave me way back when we first started dating. I guess it is special just because it was the first.

  8. My favorite pieces of jewelry is the necklace and braclet I wore for my wedding. It was my something borrowed from my grandmother. And when she past last year, I am now the grateful owner of them….

  9. My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding band for very obvious reasons! I haven’t taken it off since my husband put it on my finger almost 9 years ago.

    My second favorite is my grandfather’s class ring (which was sized for my grandmother!) from 1945.

  10. My favourite piece of jewelry is a ring with my children’s names hammered onto it because even when they’re not with me – they’re with me in one form or another. My two are the greatest treasures and biggest achievement of my life 🙂 Live them to bits

  11. My favorite piece of jewelry is a set of jadeite earrings my sister gave to me. They were her favorites, but she saw how much I liked them and gave them to me. I love them because they remind me of her.

  12. My favorite jewelry is anything from my mother because she dearly loves jewelry and takes so much time and care when choosing pieces.

    Beth G 🙂

  13. My favorite jewelry is anything with a memory behind it: my wedding ring, the necklace from my deceased grandmother, the bracelet I got in Jordan, the statement necklace I got in Paraguay, the emerald ring from Colombia…

  14. My favorite piece of jewelry is a beautiful sterling silver ring from Silpada, because it truly fits my personality and is stylish and versatile. I like my wedding band too (it’s a family heirloom from my husband’s side) but it’s gold and I’m really a silver kindof girl! 🙂

  15. My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding band. It is just a simple thin gold band that was my great-grandmothers and is probably worth nothing, but I love that it has a past and with me and my husband it will have a future.
    A close second would be the necklace my husband gave me for Christmas a few years ago. I love it because it is unique and I know he spent lots of time and thought picking it.

  16. My favorite jewelry is definitely my wedding rings! There isn’t a piece of jewelry that could ever mean more or in my opinion be more beautiful!

  17. My favorite jewelry is my new engagement ring because it’s rose gold like my mom’s wedding band, includes diamonds from my fiance’s family, was given to me by my best friend, and means I get to plan a wedding and marry him!

  18. My favorite jewelry is my wedding ring. It has a wonderful story (besides our whirlwind trans-Atlantic courtship!) We spent hours in a fancy jewelry shop looking at rings, trying them on, and trying to convince the saleslady that we really did want simple matching white gold bands. Finally we left with price quotes and numbers, promising to call if we decided to order. We went to the mall just down the road, and walked into the first chain jeweler we saw. Within 15 minutes we had found our perfect rings for the perfect price! Our names and the date are engraved inside; and it’s a beautiful reminder of God’s provision for us and our covenant marriage promises!

  19. My favorite jewelry is my wedding ring (my newer one). When my hubby and I got married almost 21 years ago we were very poor! He made my wedding ring with the help of my brother all by himself. I loved it, but it wasn’t a ring I would’ve chosen. 13 years later he surprised me with a brand new wedding set. I love it!

  20. My favorite piece of jewelry is a gold topaz ring because it used to be my mom’s. It’s obviously very sentimental, and simple and pretty. Thanks for the giveaway!!

  21. My favorite piece of jewelry is an old, probably plastic rhinestone costume jewelry pin that once belonged to my husband’s grandmother. After his grandma passed one of his aunts gave the pin to me. Grandma was such a wonderful, inspiring woman and I wear the pin often in her honor.

  22. Thanks for the feature, Abbie 🙂 I have been reading your blog for over a year, and LOVE that you and your family are true to your traditional values. Have a wonderful weekend!!

  23. My favorite piece of jewelry is my heart pendant necklace because the bead in the center is made from the flower petals from my grandfather’s funeral. It always reminds me of him when I wear it and I love that.

  24. My favorite jewelry is a small diamond heart pendant because my Mom gave it to me before she died.

  25. My favorite jewelry is my silver cross necklace because it’s a visual reminder of what my priorites should be. And I need that reminder from time to time.

  26. My favorite jewelry is a diamond ring from my husband’s Grandmother. It had a band for arthritic fingers and he had it redone in silver and added diamonds to it. It has three diamonds which remind me of our three children.

  27. My favorite jewelry is…hard to decide! I’m going with a ruby necklace that my dad had made for me while he was in Afghanistan. The ruby is my birthstone, and my favorite color is red, but besides that fact that it is perfect for me, I love knowing that I’m being thought of while away from loved ones. Whether it’s a ruby necklace or just a rock on the road that made someone think of me, it makes me feel loved to know I was on their mind, as they were on mine. When my dad got back from Afghanistan, the ruby necklace replaced the pendant necklace I had worn for him the entire time that he was away.

  28. my favorite piece of jewelry is a necklace given to me by my brother and his first wife (when they were engaged) for Christmas 1986. I was in 6th grade. It’s a delicate looking (but rather sturdy and tough) gold chain with a pendant of a small pearl & (a very, VERY small) diamond chip. I wore the necklace non-stop on a daily basis until I lost it for 6 months sometime in high school. and then found it again before we sold our couch. i wore it to my senior prom. i wore it on my wedding day. i’ve worn it swimming and to work out. it is the most versatile and unassuming piece of jewelry i have ever owned. and it’s still my favorite – ALL these years later!

  29. My favorite jewelry are my engagement and wedding rings because they are the most important pieces of jewelry I will ever wear. I also love my turquoise bubble necklace though 🙂

  30. My favorite piece of jewelry is a beautiful rainbow hued macaroni and yarn bracelet that my now 11 yo twin boys collaborated on when I was pregnant with their baby brother. Though I typically wear something with a little more sparkle, I do still pull my sweet boys’ gift out of the jewelry box more than once a week. =)

  31. My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring, because it’s simple and beautiful and reminds me all the time of how lucky I am to have married my best friend. <3 (and it was from Helzburg diamonds, lol)
    These earrings are so beautiful though, they might be a contender for 1st place! 😉

    ~ Mara

  32. My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring! I waited eight years of dating to get it – WELL DESERVED ;)! Oh, and he also picked it out himself, so I guess that makes it special too! 🙂 Love him

  33. My favorite piece of jewelry are my pearl earrings, because they are classically timeless.

  34. My favorite jewelry is earrings because you can wear many different styles but I prefer post. One of these days I would love to have diamond earrings so thank you for this giveaway!

  35. My favorite jewelry is my wedding/engagement ring because my husband had it custom designed just for me! 🙂 I also love a pair of diamond studs that I wear that my grandma won in a beauty pagent!

  36. My favorite jewelry is my engagement ring because my hubby so lovingly picked the perfect one for me.

  37. My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring. Even though it is just a material item, it reminds me of how beautiful and lovely marriage can be and reminds me of how my husband proposed. It was a glorious proposal. Side note: I have another fave–my pearl necklace. It is a danty silver chain with one single, perfect pearl. My mother gave me that one…I feel like it really portrays how beautiful the simple things are.

  38. “My favorite jewelry is silver dropped pearl earrings because my bf picked them out for Christmas and he was terrified I would hate them, but I love love love them.”

  39. “My favorite jewelry is any thing that is big, bright and bold with a hint of whimsical because life is to beautiful to not make it even more beautiful.”

  40. My favorite jewelry are pieces that have been given to me with love. Currently, my favorite is a pair of silver and turquoise earrings that my best friend gave me at Christmas this year. I’m sentimental, so anything with memories attached.

  41. My favorite jewelry is my wedding set, my anniversary band and my 25th anniversary ring all because my favorite farmer hubby gave them to me! 🙂

  42. Yay!! Thank you so much for including my DIY Easter Pots in your group of wonderful features from last week’s party. I just linked up another DIY E-A-S-T-E-R Basket that is very similar but with a creative spin. They were so much fun to make.
    Thanks much for hosting each week! Little Bit

  43. Thanks for hosting, Abbie. Looks like a really fun Spring Break! My favorite jewelry (besides my wedding ring) is earrings because they are easy to add a little bling to an outfit without feeling I’ve over-done it with accessories.Thanks for the great giveaway!
    Blessings,
    Nici

  44. My favorite jewelry is my Black Hills Gold ring that my older sister gave me on the day her dad adopted me. I wear it every day and have never seen one like it since!

  45. What a great giveaway! My favorite jewelry are pieces from my family and my handmade pieces because they have such sentimental value. (just wanted to let you know that your tweet still says it is the shabby apple giveaway, and your instagram link doesn’t work)

I love hearing from you guys!