I pledge allegiance, to the Hawkeyes Update: As I submit this post I am happy to report the Hawkeyes are up 17-10 against Mizzou at the half. Let’s hope they finish strong. I’d like to end the night singing the song “In Heaven There is No Beer.”

Here are some Gameday gold items from my closet:

Fight, Fight, Fight for Iowa!

Tomorrow is a special day for a very significant person in my life. It is my mom’s birthday. She should really be celebrated every day of the year for the amount of things she does for our family. There isn’t another person I look up to more than her. We share a lot of common traits, my most treasured being our affinity to create. We are both artistic, crafty and love a good spool of ribbon. I can’t think of another person who likes paper as much as we do. That being said, shopping for her can sometimes get me into trouble because I want to buy everything that I get for her, for myself.

When it was time to figure out what to get the woman who has everything, I turned to our favorite Chicago-based store, Paper Source. We are like kids in a candy shop in this joint, and never leave empty handed. Here are a few gifts that would be perfect for the crafty lady in your life:

Paper Source, Pom Pom Scarf, $29.95

Paper Source, My Mom: Her Stories, Her Words Journal, $9.95

Paper Source, Desk Embosser, $28.50

Paper Source, Bicycle with Basket Stationery, $12.25 for 10 cards/envelopes

Paper Source, Make Your Own Envelopes Template Kit, $15

Paper Source, Kitchen Gadgets Recipe Cards, $6.95 for 20 pack