Have you ever been out shopping, and you find the perfect maxi dress hat you love, but then you realize someone snatched the last one in your size? What's up with those size-stealing ninjas and why are they all my size?! Well, Sears has solved that problem for us! Since there's no floorplan limit to cyberspace, the Sears website is exponentially larger than their stores and they carry more sizes and colors than you’d find at your local Sears!

So, problem solved. You get on the Sears site, and you're cruising around, cybershopping. You find your jungle maxi dress in the right size, but then… you discover the same style in a color you like more! So you found the right size, and a new color, but then… You get distracted by something shiny on the Sears website (Shiny: The latest designer brands screaming your name).

See, in addition to having more colors and sizes on the website, Sears carries even more brands and styles than they do in the store! Sears has stepped up their game with brands you’d never think you’d find on Sears.com. Brands like Ray Ban, Michael Kors, DeWalt Tools, Steve Madden, Nike, Vince Camuto, Tory Burch … the list goes on! And don't forget to check out the featured marketplace offers and the newest arrivals.

Now you know: along with your favorite Sears brands, you can treat yourself to a few luxury designers without having to open another tab on your browser! So you put that dress (in your size) into your online shopping cart, and add a pair of Mia Wedge Sandals to go with it.

I know what you’re thinking: “But I wanted to wear it this weekend!” Have no fear, you can buy it online and schedule an in-store pickup. Sears guarantees to have your item ready in 5 minutes or less, or you’ll get a $5 in store coupon! So turn that frown upside down and visit Sears.com to pick up what you want! Now you can go ahead and put a second pair of wedges in your cybershopping cart — as soon as you're done shopping online you can go pick them up at Sears for this weekend's Luau block party.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Every day, Sears is adding hundreds of new styles, colors and designers to the website. I am always on the lookout for some new jewelry:

And Sears.com has lots of curated collections to help you find what you are looking for. Not to overwhelm you (hope you’re good at decision making), but Sears is committed to ensuring every customer finds exactly what they want. Good thing internet space is unlimited, right?!

You can go ahead and thank me for warning you about Sears.com's huge online selection, 'cause you might have fallen off your chair when you saw Sears.com’s expanded assortment for yourself. Now that you have had a fair warning, head over to the website and treat yo'self!

If you like what you see, don't forget to tweet to @Sears with the #MoreatSears hashtag to let your friends know what Shiny things you've found at Sears.com.

My little lady is an animal lover in a big way. Unfortunately for her, my husband and I are what we refer to as “not pet people.” But we do go out of our way to try and allow her to have lots of access to other people’s pets, farms and various furry friends. I also make a point of attracting animals to our backyard as much as possible. We have a family of wild rabbits, squirrels and birds that visit us every single day. We watch them from the backdoor, giving them names and feeding them and putting things in the yard we think they’ll enjoy. So this year I decided to hang a hummingbird feeder and find a bird bath. Except bird baths are pricy! So I created my own for around $3, and it only took about 15 minutes!

Supplies:

• plastic platter- $1
• large plastic bowl- $1
• plastic water bottle- $1
• E-6000 glue- on hand
• rocks- on hand or $1

I found all these supplies in the summer/luau section of the dollar store, and they were available in other coordinating colors too, like green, pink and clear (though there was no clear water bottle).  You could always purchase these basic items and spray paint them any color you want, which would only add an additional $3 or so.

This is a super basic and easy project. Just one specific thing to be mindful of: remove the long straw from the inside of the water bottle and save the lid. You’ll want this “end” of the water bottle to be the bottom of the bird bath, I’ll explain why in just a minute…

The rest is- as my little lady would say- easy peasy! Place E-6000 glue around the base of the bottom of the water bottle and press it into the center of the bottom of the platter. Then place more glue around the rim of the bottom of the bowl, and place in the center of the top side of the platter. Let it sit this way, upside down, for a few hours to dry.

Now you’ve got a few options to get the birdbath to be stable in your yard. You can use a metal pole or something similar to steak it into the ground (this is why we left the open end of the water bottle as the bottom of the bird bath). You could fill the bottle with rocks and replace the lid to stabilize it and/or bury the bottom portion of the bottle into the ground.

Then you can add rocks (either from around the yard or from the dollar store) and water and watch the birds come for a refreshing visit! Place it near a bird feeder to make it extra enticing. I tried to have the patience to wait and catch real live birds to photograph and show you…but then I remembered that I had a few episodes of Survivor to catch up on! But, as the saying goes, if you build it they will come!

A smart and crafty friend of mine saw my little bird bath and suggested putting several of these around the yard with floating candles for an outdoor party/event. I think that’s such a great idea!

When Morena at Dollar Store Crafts came across a set of small, simple puzzles, she had a great idea: she turned them into an adorable set of photo puzzles!  (Her kids were so excited to see themselves on puzzles!)  This idea has tons of potential – use them as personalized favors at a birthday party; make a set with the faces of relatives who live far away to remind your kids of their aunts, uncles, and grandparents; adorn them with photos of your pets or your kids’ favorite animals.  You can seriously put any image you want on them!  Oh, the endless possibilities…  [how to make custom photo puzzles]

So you found a great deal on a ton of gorgeous washi tape, but aren’t sure what to do with it? How about letting the kids craft and play with it by making a puzzle like this one from A Pumpkin and a Princess? It’s a relatively simple process, and the kids can help every step of the way. The original tutorial uses a plain wooden puzzle from a craft store, but I think you could do a modified version of this using a sturdy board puzzle from the dollar store! These would be a sweet gift for a baby shower or first birthday as well!

{Make washi tape puzzles}

I think I was about 7 months pregnant when it occurred to me that my occasional facials and pedicures and massages at a proper spa were about to become a thing of the past. I knew I’d be staying home full time and we’d be losing a chunk of our income and, though my spa visits happened only a few times a year, they’d be among the first things cut from the budget. It was at that point I decided to put some focus on making my bathroom as lovely and spa-like as I could, bit by bit. It’s been an ongoing process over the last 6 years, and it’s nothing that would be published in any magazine…but I do love it! Projects like this one from The Idea Room are perfect for creating lovely details on a very small budget. She’s even provided FREE printable labels for you to use! I also LOVE this idea for gift giving! You can buy products in bulk and create several sets to personalize and give- and you’ll get to enjoy plenty of coffee along the way (you’ll have to read the original post to see just what I mean!). I call that an absolute win/win!

{Make a labeled bathroom jar set}

Don't you just love Dollar General? Dollar store shopping is fun, and it's even more fun when you can get brand-name goodies for everyone in your family, all at dollar store prices. And when I say everyone in your family, I mean everyone — even your pets! (Pet owners know that pets are people too!) This week I want to share how you can get all the MARS® Petcare products at Dollar General.

But beyond just getting household necessities at dollar store prices, Dollar General has a sweet deal for pet-owners that will help people learn to read, learn English, and get their GEDs.

How do pet-owners get a free book and help promote literacy?

When you buy $10 worth of Pedigree® or Temptations® petcare products, you will receive a coupon for a FREE book!

Support Literacy with Dollar General Literacy Foundation and MARS® Petcare!

When you take part in this promotion, not only will you get a free book, but you can help increase literacy! When you redeem your coupon for the FREE book, MARS® Petcare will donate $1 to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support Dollar General’s literacy initiatives.

Dollar General as a company is committed to promoting literacy. Nationwide, more than 40 million adults can't read well enough to fill out a job application or read a book to their children. Inspired by one of the company's founders, who had only a third-grade education, Dollar General today helps thousands of individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency.

This is one of those crafts that is doubly green – it uses something recycled to make something that contributes positively to the ecosystem!  If you, your kiddos, or even your pets enjoy watching birds, instead of throwing away your next carton from milk or juice, turn it into a birdfeeder with these directions from Amanda Formero at Spoonful.  You could even adapt this same idea to work with plastic soda or water bottles!  [how to make a milk carton birdfeeder]

I read a really powerful and tender article this week from Amy at Messy Middle that has stayed with me for days. I couldn’t possibly say it any better than she did, so I’d encourage you to go and read the entire article here. I do, however, want to share a portion of it with you here. Today mothers everywhere are being celebrated, and rightfully so. But, as the article emphasizes, many aspects of mothering are overlooked today. Mother’s Day isn’t all brunches and tulips, and can be a painful or uncomfortable day for many. Many of the categories of mothering listed below are personal to me, and I’m sure each woman who reads this can find herself in there somewhere. I pray you find comfort and encouragement in knowing that, whether it is a joyful day or a difficult one,  you are not alone.

The Wide Spectrum of Mothering

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst

To those who have aborted children – we remember them and you on this day

To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be

To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths

To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

via Messy Middle

{Backyard fun: water balloon pinata}

My little lady NEVER tires of painting, and I love discovering new techniques to explore with her. Pre-School Play shared an idea that looks really cool using a cardboard tube as a “rolling pin” for paint. Kids can explore creating all sorts of color combinations and patterns. Now that the weather is nice, consider spreading out newspaper in the backyard and making this an outdoor activity.

Preschool art: rolling paint project}