Publisher Plus Software Review

There's only one word to describe my reaction when I first opened Publisher Plus for Mac, MINDBLOWN!

With so many choices and simple changes for layouts, fonts and colors...the possibilities are endless. 

From Seasonal Sale Flyers for your Clothing Boutique, Church Bulletins, Neighborhood BBQ Posters, Fitness Magazines, Restaurant Menus, Holiday Party Invites, Baby Announcements, Graduation Invitations, Wedding CD Covers, Sports Awards, Business Cards, Designer Resumes for your College Graduate, Cover Letters that will set you apart from the rest...and so much more!

Endless possibilities and ease of use are two high priorities for this busy Mom. Take for instance

the following "Lost Dog" Poster. The top (blue) one is the Publisher Plus Layout and after just 5 minutes, the one below (green) is mine. Color changes, Font changes, taking the bottom section from 2 columns down to one, a few more edits and you have a beautiful eye catching poster, ready for printing.

Publisher Plus Layout

My Layout after 5 minutes

Yearly Birthday Parties are always fun to plan. If you don't have

time to hand make invitations this year or don't want to pay the hefty

price to have someone else do it for you. You can easily create your own

using this software.

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Add your own photos, colors and flair with ease...

Looking to upgrade your old business cards?
You can design your own to fit any genre. I love
having 'Mommy cards' on hand so I can easily pass
out my cell number to a new friend.

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Bottom line, if you are looking for a creative and easy
program (that even your Mother can use) to wow your audience,
this one's for you!

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Financial compensation was not received for this post. 

A sample product was gifted from Pearl Mountain Technology. 

Opinions expressed here are my own.

Window Privacy

If you are tired of feeling like the the world can peer into your home

at night or the mailman dropping off packages during the day. 

The neighborhood kids popping over to play with your littles, 

or just want to walk around in your bathrobe all day without 

feeling like a turd, then this privacy window film is for you!

 I picked up a tube of 'window film' from Home Depot

and with a spray bottle of water and soap, it was very

easy to apply. I'd measure your window out first and then

cut to fit. You'll want to leave a little room on the edges, so

the air and water can be squeegeed out from underneath and 

give you a little room to move it around a bit if you are a 

perfectionist. I tried to pick out the less gaudy print without

it being too blah. The one I used is called Etched Lace.

If you have high windows that can't be covered with 

curtains or that let in a bunch of sun or heat, 

you can buy tinted film as well. The lack of 

curtains that are bound to get dusty and the clean lines 

of simplicity appealed to me with this privacy film. 

I need to run out and buy more for our sunroom!

The opinions in this post are all my own,

this is NOT a sponsored post.

DIY Custom Closet

No more cribs and a mobile toddler means one thing

in our house...no more organization in their room, gah!

Our youngest has recently transitioned to a toddler bed,

because of her mad monkey climbing skills. With that

comes baskets and clothing that was once neatly tucked

into shelves and folded ever so nicely, now thrown into

a tornado mess all over the floor. Soooo....the next option,

pile it up, as far away from those curious fingers as possible!

That worked BUT then we couldn't get to her clothing and she

began wearing the same outfits over and over again, so

the closet renovation began.

When we first moved in, all the closet sliding doors came

off in the kids rooms, because really, getting to only half

of your closet at a time is kind of a pain and little fingers

inevitably get pinched as they bang them closed. Not to

mention, taking off the doors adds more space to a room.

In a baby room, it's a great place to put the changing

table since it won't always be in their room and frees

up playable space on the floor too.

I removed all of the furniture, baskets, clothes, etc.

and then the hubs took down the wire shelf and filled

all of the holes, sanding them down when they were dry.

Then the fun part, adding a splash of light grey to tie

the closet together with the rest of the room.

I used Sleek Gray C15 from Lowes, Valspar Paint.

One coat did the trick and I even painted the ceiling

of the closet as well.

Our yorkie Satine, was my painting buddy and wanted

to be in a few of the photos to prove she was my

super assistant for the day.

We wanted the closet to grow with our daughter 

and building your own is a great way to customize 

exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

So my handy hubs went with a box/cube method and

used his new router for a much faster build. He also 

stained the shelves outside with a spray painter and after

they were installed, I went back over and touched up spot

as well as stained the trim/facing.

This photo shows you the sides of the main boxes.

To the left, you have long dress hanging and to the 

right two rods for coats and warmer gear.

The closet is complete and now neatly organized

again. Thanks to my handy hubby for another 

complete masterpiece!

Just a few more basket needed but otherwise

everything fits and there's room to grow!

Washi Tape Outlet Cover

So with my new desk top outlet plug, comes a shiny 

white boring outlet cover. What better way to fancy

it up in a craft room than with Washi Tape!

Bring out the options...

and with no sticky residue, I can change it up

anytime my crafty heart desires, in a washi flash!

DIY Plug it in, Plug it in

Ready to shed a little light on the subject?

That's right. DIY. Light. Plugs. 

and the lack of cords, yipee!

Not going to lie, I was a tad bit nervous when my

handy hubs said he wanted to drill a hole and cut 

into my awesome 5X5 table top work space but

I'm in love with the finished results and love that I'm

no longer tripping over an extension cord.

Before:

Beautiful, White, HUGE and normally covered with

paper and other crafty bits as I'm working on Etsy shop 

orders or crafting something for our family home.

We sketched out where we wanted the box to go 

and he even let me try the jigsaw for the first time.

I'm all over that tool this summer...oh the possibilities!

 Next the box and electrical stuff, glad he's done 

his research because I have no clue when it comes

to wires and such. Hot glue on the other hand, 

I'm a pro at that!

and the finished results...what do you think?

Goodbye

March was a quiet month for me...busy but quiet, on the blog. Our fur baby Kowe, who has been with us 11 years passed away just before my Birthday. She was the sweetest 4 lbs of fur ever and her big personality is greatly missed in our home. We first adopted, Satine, while we lived in Germany and when we found out we were pregnant with our firstborn, we brought Kowe into our family as a companion for Satine. Both of our girls have seen us through 4 pregnancies, 5 moves, have traveled to Prague, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, North Dakota, Texas, Rhode Island, Virginia, Arizona, Iowa and many states in between. 

Kowe was a spitfire till the very end...A month before, she was diagnosed with renal failure. She loved playing with her stuffed toys and if you squeaked one, Kowe would run from wherever she was napping, bark her wee little bark and tilt her head to the side eager to play. Satine always ran to the toys first (her legs are a little longer) but would always let Kowe 'win' and bring them back to us. Walking with two Yorkies can be a bit tangly, especially when strollers, or small children are involved. So now just walking Satine, seems impossibly easy and wrong.

The tears have been spaced out more and more as the days since Kowe's passing continue on. She was just 'one of the kids' that loved unconditionally, snuggled anywhere, loved to sleep in, shook like a leaf during thunder storms, wasn't a fan of fireworks, loved to sunbathe, thought she was much bigger than her tiny frame, would sit by the door so she wouldn't be forgotten on car trips, loved bike rides and green peppers. She adored the new baby bundles we would bring home from the hospital and would always try to steal their toys. If a stroller was going on a walk, Kowe would hop underneath and would much rather ride than stroll, which is probably where she got her little round belly. She loved tummy rubs, greenies, warm weather and wasn't a fan of snow or the bitter cold.

I've had people say...
"are you going to get another dog?" or "that's why I won't get a dog"
but even though, the pain right now is tough, I wouldn't have it any other way. Tears are flowing as I type and I'll always miss my girl but she's not replaceable. Dogs, like kids, have their own personalities...and Kowe definitely had her own!

It's odd not saying "the girls", "Kowe", "Kooooooooweeeeeeeeeee", "Kowe Bug" or "Kowe Ann" when she was in trouble. The day before she left us, we knew it was time...I gave her a bath gently in the sink and had to hold up by cupping her sweet belly, which wasn't as round anymore, in my hand. She couldn't keep her food down and just wanted to sleep. I went to the craft store and picked up some cloud plaster to capture her tiny paw print, snipped a small locket of her fur and snuggled her by the fire, snapping photos and talking to her. The next morning I took her into the vet and she couldn't stand unless I held my hands on her sides. She'd lost 2 lbs. and now water was no longer on the menu either. The vet agreed that it was time and said I could come back anytime that day. I left their office with our two littles and tears streaming down my face as I carried my sweet Kowe home.

Looking back, I'm so very glad we got to spend that day with her. The kids all took photos holding Kowe and I even got her little head to tilt one last time for a photo when I squeaked one of her toys but she quickly laid it back down again when she remembered she didn't feel well. Broke my heart. I took her to the vet alone and it took a call to my hubby and lots of tears before I could get out of the car. I knew in my head, everything I was doing would be the last...the end...of her chapter. The last snuggle, last kiss, last look from her little round eyes, last touch of her sweet black button nose, last lick from her tiny pink tongue with a chunk missing from it. She nuzzled her tiny head on my chest and not long after we walked through the doors, two tiny heart beats and she was gone.

I still look for her in her beds and expect her tiny self to come prancing around the corner, ready to play but then remember...and the pain comes back or the smiles as I remember one of her little quirks. I try to think of her running in green grassy fields with a toy in her mouth, because that's where she was always happiest.

She was a lover of humans, stole our hearts and will always be in mine.
Love you forever Kowe Bug.

 bed head

snuggly puppy

 Satine and Kowe
helping Mama unpack her craft room...again

 Satine and Kowe
on the farm in Iowa