Only 2 days left of The Pretty Life Project and it’s only gonna get bigger AND better. The nominations you have sent so far have been beyond beautiful and we are so thrilled by the opportunity to spoil your loved ones. We have also had a couple extra sponsors add in gifts throughout the week...
We’re halfway through The Pretty Life Project week and there is sooooo much goodness to go! THANK YOU times a million for the amazing nominations! It has been wonderful and humbling and so fun to hear about your nominees and it has meant so much that you have sent them along. So, KEEP THEM COMING!...
I would like to nominate my best friend Kalysha (aka Kaly) Clark. She is an amazing person and her life has never been easy. She is a first generation college student working to better herself. This year has been particularly rough for her for many reasons, but one that sticks out for me is that she adopted a german shepherd from a girl who could no longer care for him.
The woman that she adopted him from had told her that he was AKC registered, in good health, and a great dog but she just couldn't care for him anymore – what she told Kaly was mostly lies. Axel (then Jack) had intestinal worms, heart worms, and severe separation anxiety and his vet bill was much more than Kaly had originally estimated (even when overestimating). She has continued to move forward and has treated Axel for his intestinal worms as well as paid to have him neutered. She is working towards his heart worm treatment and is taking him to behavior classes to work on his separation anxiety.
As a 22 year old that lives alone and supports herself she has done and continues to do amazing things and she inspires me everyday. I love her and would love for her to win a prize package. 🙂
Thank you and I hope you have a happy holidays!
BrookeReplyCancel
Oh! and my email is brooke@bribe.nycReplyCancel
I would like to nominate my friend, Tori. With her husband working in a factory with the economy the way it is, work has been hit and miss. When they first got married, they had to juggle both of their house payments until they could sell one, so I know they had to take on more debt in order to pay all the bills. With all the financial stress and the news that her unborn baby might not make it (prayers are so appreciated!) , I know Tori could use some sunshine!
Thank you so much for hosting this! I love seeing all the nominations and don't envy you your job of having to pick!;)
calamity_mansa (at) yahoo(dot) comReplyCancel
My friend Emily is pretty darned amazing.
Her life has never been anything even close to resembling "easy," and over the last year, she has had her share of personal troubles doled her way. She works her butt off to live, more or less, paycheck-to-paycheck, but no matter what struggles this girl is facing, her attitude is never anything short of stellar.
In addition to working as a server, often pulling double-shifts to make ends meet, Emily is also a writer. I'd say aspiring, but she just had her first book published — girl's got talent! She manages to fit her writing into the barely-existent nooks and crannies of her schedule. She's the mama to 2 adorable kitties. She's passionate about women's rights and equality. And she's an all-around nice person to boot.
Emily almost never does anything for herself. She rarely has the time or resources to do so, but even if she did, she's the kind of person who would spend that time and those resources either doing something to hone her craft or something to help out someone else.
She has an ambition and drive that are so admirable, and I wish life would shine down on her more than it does. She so, so, SO deserves it.
I would like to nominate my Aunt, Carolyn. She is super-woman all of the time, but has been SUPER-super woman during this last year.
My uncle, her husband, was diagnosed with brain cancer last November (I think). This has obviously been a difficult time for their whole family, but through it all, they have all been so strong and brave. My aunt especially. My went through rounds of chemo and radiation, and this last summer things were starting to look brighter. But recently my uncle took a turn for the worse. Because of his cancer, medications, etc, he has become very dependent on his family. He needs constant supervision, day AND night. My aunt is physically exhausted with countless hours of no sleep as she watches over and cares for her husband. She is emotionally exhausted, as anybody would be, always hoping and praying for things to be ok, and not knowing what will happen. And she is mentally exhausted as she takes care of my uncle day after day, doing the same things, answering the same questions again and again.
Through it all however, she does not complain. She is busy with civic and church duties, which includes being the Relief Society President of her ward. She never thinks about herself and is always found serving someone else. She is positive and always seems so happy, despite the circumstances she is in. She is one amazing lady, and is definitely deserving of a little "pick me up" goodness.
We are SO excited to bring you DAY 2 of The Pretty Life Project! (If you missed day 1, be sure to go here to find out what The Pretty Life Project is all about and how to nominate your loved ones!) The nominations you have entered in the comments and sent in emails have...
I would love to nominate my friend Jenaya. She and her husband Jon had a baby girl 4 months ago named Cora. Last week they found out Cora had a hole in her heart. She had to have open heart surgery last tuesday. The surgery went well and Cora is recovering but Jenaya and Jon don't have insurance. They weren't expecting to have this expense. Jon quit work to go back to school and get his degree. The doctor said when the surgery was over that her heart was worse than he expected and that their little girl shouldn't be alive. They are really hopeful and trying to stay upbeat about the whole situation. I just would love to nominate Jenaya because she is one person who loves to take care of others and this would be a great way to take care of her and put a smile on her face.ReplyCancel
My BFF Kate, after years and years of trying and hoping and praying, is finally expecting a baby through the incredible, selfless, brave miracle of adoption. Their baby is due any day now and I would be so excited if she won! She's been praying for years to be a mom and I'm so happy her time has finally come. Also, she's a runner, so I feel like these are made for her. I love that you're doing giveaways this way!ReplyCancel
I would love to nominate by sister-in-law, sharon. she's one of the strongest, most spiritual people I know! this past march, she found out her 6 month old little boy had Leukemia. Her husband and she have been living out of the hospital as her son, ethan, goes through treatment after treatment. He's done chemotherapy and has daily injections of steroids. While all of this was happening, she found out she was pregnant with a second child, only to go through a miscarriage a few weeks later. Just a few months ago, Sharon's husband donated bone marrow to Ethan as a last effort to save his life. They found out that the procedure worked (!!!) and her son is finally, finally in remission. He was able to come home on Thanksgiving day. Throughout everything, she has remained positive and had a smile on her face! While some might turn away from the Lord, she has turned to Him and her faith has increased. She's the most inspirational person I know! :]ReplyCancel
I would love to nominate my sister Claire. She has been trying to get pregnant for several years. She has even had to fly across the country to see specialists. She has had several failed IVF attempts and miscarriages. I am so happy that she has not given up trying and is now expecting. I am so happy for her and her husband and I pray everyday that things go well for her. Thanks for the chance, justicecw at hotmail dot comReplyCancel
I would love to nominate my friend Nicole for the second, 'mom-centric' day of the PLG Project. Nicole is a married, stay at home mother of three precious girls under 6. Recently, her husband was laid off along with dozens of others in his field. Competition for jobs in his line of work right now where they live is very fierce as a result of these layoffs. He was able to find another, comparably paying job, several states away. Nicole and her children will be staying in their home and at their schools, but her husband will he working remotely and commuting home every few weeks or when funds permit.
In the meantime, Nicole is a dedicated college student on the Dean's List, working on her Bachelor's degree. She takes on seemingly difficult challenges with great aplomb and makes them look effortless. Her grace and strength during this very strenuous time in her family's life is both amazing and admirable. Winning these prizes would be a nice treat for Nicole and her daughters as she makes it through the next few weeks before Christmas when her husband will be able to come home to visit.
adriannebraun@yahoo.comReplyCancel
i would love to nominate my sister connie. she is an amazing sister and like a 2nd mom to me. she is also about to become a new mom in january. this giveaway would be super helpful to her as her husband has been back in school for the last 2 years and she has become the sole income-provider. they have been super tight on money and thus haven't done any shopping for the baby coming (or for the holidays for that matter) – in fact i just recently found out she has been scouring the web for cheap used baby stuff. this would help her out so so much!ReplyCancel
We are SO excited to announce a project that has been in the works the last couple of months here on the PLG. Let me tell you about it! First, this blog is a place to talk about the frivolous. Clothes, shoes, crafts and food, it’s an escape from day to day stresses for us....
I'd love to nominate my little sister! A few months ago she started her freshman year of college and ended up messing up her foot pretty bad while on a hike with friends. She's spent the past few months on crutches and unable to do all of the fun college activities that her friends are off doing. I know she'd love to win some Jamberry nails and other fun goodies!
I also want to nominate my sweet sister in law (Katie Hogue) who was just diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. She started chemotherapy right after she delivered baby #2. She has been doing treatments now for about 2 months and although sick and tired she ALWAYS has a smile on her face. Her testimony of the gospel and his plan as been strengthened as well as all of ours.
Thanks again for doing this.
Ami Arbon
amiarbon@gmail.comReplyCancel
I just love that you guys are doing this. I got teary eyed when Dianne Carrol told me about this and I knew immediately who I wanted to nominate.
My sweet twin sister has been through a lot over the years and I often try to surprise and do kind things for her. This would be awesome.
When her and her husband were first married they tried to get pregnant and when she finally did she found out that basically everything was wrong with the baby except it has a heartbeat. She carried this baby for 7 months and then she lost it. She was so sad and couldn't wait to try again. Well she got pregnant again and the exact same thing happened. Lost Baby #2. She does have 2 healthy happy children now and I could not be more pleased.
About 3 years ago her husband at age 35 was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He had brain surgery a couple times but unfortunately they were unsuccessful at removing the tumor and things just got worse and worse. He passed away at age 37 leaving his wife and 2 children.
WE MISS HIM TERRIBLY but my sister has never once complained and went through theses trials with a smile on her face. I love her so much and would do anything for her.
Love this project! Such an awesome way to bring a little joy to someone's life! Can I nominate more than one person? If so . . .
1) My friend Tracy. She is one of the most kind, thoughtful, selfless people I know. She's always helping others, whether watching a friend's kids if mom is sick or opening her doors to a family that needs a place to stay while house-hunting, and she could definitely use a little fun for herself!
2) My friend Janel. Our husbands were in school together and we became really close. She is so fun and such a joy to be around. I will never forget how thoughtful and loving she was after I had my first baby–I had postpartum depression and really, really struggled to get through each day, and she made me feel so loved. She would drop by unexpected with treats, babysit my baby so I could rest (even though she had 2 young kids herself!), and call me every day to make sure I was doing ok. She is wonderful.ReplyCancel
I want to nominate my sister Baylee! She is the most positive, hardworking, selfless mom and wife I know! Despite her strong efforts, she gets a lot of negativity from certain people in her life. I know she tries not to show it, but I know how sad And depressed it makes her. She is a mom of 3 and I know she would love to win something for herself and feel a little love in her life right now!ReplyCancel
I have to nominate my mom. She is such a loving and hardworking person and deserves something special for herself. She raised 6 kids while working fulltime as a nurse and still always had time for everyone. She volunteers often at her church and is always happy to babysit any grandkids when asked to. Thanks so much for the chance for her! justicecw@hotmail.comReplyCancel
I would love to nominate one of the students I teach. She is so hard working and kind. She goes out of her way to help others and make them feel special. She doesn't like it when kids get picked on and she tries to always stick up for them. She comes from a lower income family and doesn't have a lot but what she does have she gives to everyone else.ReplyCancel
I want to nominate my beautiful, selfless mother. About 10 years ago my dad's diabetes took a turn for the worse and his eyesight and kidneys failed. Within a matter of months he was pretty much a skeleton of who he once was, he had lost so much weight. There were 7 of us kids still living at home at the time and it took a big blow to our family. I remember one evening my mom asked me to take a picture of her and my dad before they were heading to the hospital for the countless time. I could tell that evening she thought I would be taking the last picture of the two of them together. My heart broke that night. Thankfully, through an angel friend donor, my dad was able to have a kidney and it has helped keep him alive to this day. Although he had returned to better health because of the kidney transplant, his eyesight was still shot. He is considered legally blind, and had to quit working because of his poor eyesight. My mother, after 20 some odd years of being a stay at home mom, had to go back to work full time and also attended evening classes to finish her degree all the while still raising our family along side my dad. In the last year or so my dad's transplanted kidney has taken a turn for the worse again. They are working on getting him back on a transplant list, but in the mean time he had to be put back on dialysis which is a machine that essentially takes out your blood, filters it, and puts it back in. It does everything your kidneys would do. He was at a facility three times a week for about five hours getting this done. In July of this year, my brother and his wife along with their seven kids decided to move back from out of state and moved in with my parents and my three younger siblings still at home. You can imagine what a zoo that was. Around the same time my dad was able to qualify for at home dialysis, he now spends five days a week for about 4 hours on that machine. My mom essentially gets up before the crack of dawn to get my younger siblings out the door for school, goes to work full time, comes home and starts my dad on dialysis basically being his "nurse" gowning up in medical garb and checking his vitals every 15 minutes for an hour and then every 30 minutes after that, all the while making sure dinner is ready to go and everyone is happy and sane. My brother and his family moved out last month after they closed on their house but I can tell that all of this has compounded and taken a toll on my sweet mother. She is always serving others, and never doing anything for herself. She cannot say no and serves those in her family, her work, and church. To add to the stress, my sweet grandma had a stroke and will be moving in with my parents next week. I'd love so much to take the stress away from my mom, and although I can't work for her or be my dad's nurse, I know giving her a little pampering or a few gifts would make her so happy. She truly is a saint, and is so deserving which is why I nominate my mom.ReplyCancel
Among all the other deserving moms out there, I nominate mine. She's beautiful and would do anything for anyone just to give them a smile. We lost my dad, her husband of 33 years, to cancer. She was his nurse and caregiver and remained strong although I know it broke her heart. About 8 years before he died, she had had 2 heart attacks and a triple bypass while still in her mid 40's. In recent years, she had to go through open heart surgery again to have a valve replaced. She struggles to breathe and doesn't feel well often but is determined to keep up with her family, church, and hobbies. She was there for me when I lost 2 babies, she was there for me when my first husband left me with tiny children, she was there for me and IS there for me for the bad AND the good. I don't want this to be a sob story but rather a tribute to a very strong, happy, and deserving woman who means the world to me and many others.ReplyCancel
I would like to nominate my friend, Hannah. Life has dealt her some tough blows, with a majorly dysfunctional family that robbed her of her childhood and some major health problems in recent years (Crohns). Despite it all, Hannah is positive, sweet, and a wonderful mother to her little boy. I know the last year has been rough on her, so I would love to nominate her, since a surprise package would totally make her day!ReplyCancel
Lol! I wrote a really long beautiful comment about two of my amazing sisters and went to submit it and it said there was an error! Ack! So this may not be as beautiful, but my little sister MeiLani has a 2 year old little boy who had a brain tumor removed on his 2nd birthday. She has 3 other children ages 5,3 and 5 months. AJ has been undergoing 6 weeks of radiation in FL. MeiLani has Ben driving back and forth from NC to FL to try and take care of all 4 kids. Go to http://www.savethecheeks.org to read more and get a little insight to her beautiful faith. My email address is mmmcbridemail@gmail.com.
ReplyCancel
My second nomination is for my oldest sister. She was never able to have children of her own. After 10 years of trying, she adopted 3 children. Her first has autism. Her second was born at 26 weeks gestation and has many medical problems stemming from that including chronic lung desease, a feeding tube, and many other things. She knew this when she adopted him. They told her he would never walk, never talk or ever be able to breathe on his own. He has beaten all odd on those 3 fronts but not without its struggles. She is an amazing mom who spends hours administering medicines, food and love with a smile on her face! She is always giving little treaties out to others. It would be fun if she got one herself!
My friend Diane Carrell was right! You girls are awesome! Thanks for doing this!ReplyCancel
This Paper Chain Crafts post was originally published in August 2019 and updated as of December 2021. It’s the go-to craft for our little kindergartners – paper chains! But we’re taking it up a notch. Elevating it to a place that takes your party to a whole new level. Make a masterpiece with just paper...
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about tie dye? An image of a hippie at Woodstock in a rainbow swirl tee? A memory of squirting every color you could get your hands on on a t-shirt at summer camp? We’re with you. Traditional tie dye is a little wild,...
I remember the first project I ever made with my first Silhouette machine. I started with a Silhouette Portrait that was great at cutting vinyl for simple projects and made a t-shirt with my son’s name on it. It was SO cool. I couldn’t believe that I had this little machine that could turn mundane...
If you have followed this blog for a while, you know that we are lovers of tie-dye. Tie-dye is versatile and easy to use and it’s so fun to think outside of its traditional methods for application. So today we are rounding up ten of our favorite tie dye projects you need to make! Whether...
Today I want to nominate my mom! Currently, she's raising three teenage boys with very busy schedules, going to school full-time, doing her best to fulfill church callings, and hardly gets to take time out for herself. She's supermom!
For today's prize, I would like to nominate my good friend Lisa. She is the true epitome of a fair, faithful friend; one who never judges and always supports. Earlier this year, I had a very unique and unexpected opportunity to work on a project overseas. Initially, I thought I would not be able to do it, as I am the stay at home mother of a preschooler. Lisa offered to watch my daughter for the time I would be gone and encouraged me to go on the trip. I am eternally grateful for her generosity of time and spirit. Lisa is the mother of two and a grandmother of three. Her easygoing attitude and fun-loving demeanor make her a favorite adult among children and adults alike. I would love for her to win one of these wonderful prizes packs as a way of thanking her for being so uniquely HER!
adriannebraun@yahoo.com
Lol, I felt kind of funny nominating my mom, but I see I'm not the only one doing so!;)
I'm nominating my mom, Kathy, because she gives so much of herself and is just an incredible example to me. She doesn't hesitate to help those in need, taking people in, offering a listening ear, taking meals to those who are housebound, and basically spoiling those she loves! It's hard to figure out how to give back to her. I think a bunch of goodies would be fun to send her way!
calamity_manda (at) yahoo (dot) com
I want to nominate my mom for this one! She has 7 kids and has dedicated her life to making sure we know without a doubt that she is on our team. She fights for us no matter what and has spent the last few years setting an example to us by continuing her education and becoming a yoga instructor. Everyone who knows her is happier because of it! hello.brandilyn@gmail.com