Things that are making me smile and things that are not

~ By Sam ~

Things that are making me smile:

*This from Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte Mix Trader Joe's. So good you should try it!


*Every time JJ asks me if I could text someone. JJ: Mom can you text Uncle D to ask him about the Seahawks? JJ: Mom can you text Auntie Meg to see when she is coming over? JJ: Mom can you text Dad to tell him I was good today? JJ: Mom can you text my new friend for a play date? The list goes on and on and for some reason I get a kick out of it EVERY SINGLE TIME. I am not that old (33 years young thank you) but in my day there was no texting and cell phones, we used landlines and payphones. It is so bizarre to hear my 5 year old ask me to text someone!!





Things that are making me not:


*My 2 year old Liam has had a nasty cold for going on a week now. It is not down and out sick, but enough to drive me mad and keep him home from preschool for 2 days and he only goes 2 days a week! Took him to the doctors on Momday just to make sure he didn't have an underlying ear infection only to have her say it was just a cold. A lingering cold but just a cold. So glad I took him to make sure but could have saved the trip to the doctor if he would just feel better. Poor guy. And poor me cause he is kind of whiny and having a hard time sleeping, therefor I am having a hard time sleeping.

The fact that I feel like I have so many unfinished projects I could just scream! Too much on my plate to do things 100% drives me crazy. This week I will prioritize better. Stop hoping to find time to finish it someday and Just Do It. 

The fact that my DVR either did not record, lost the recording or someone stopped the recording of last weeks Greys Anatomy! I NEED to know, did they air a new episode last week?!?! 

Crafting with Martha!

~ By Sam ~
                 
I love crafts, with or without the kids. It is fun to do them with the kids, but sometimes I need a grown up craft to make me feel "crafty." When I am looking for crafting ideas I like to turn to Martha Stewart. My Mom adores Martha and says she knew her way back when. Because my Mom has so much admiration for Martha Stewart, I do too. Her projects are relatively simple and always classic. I found this Bat Mobile from the Indoor Halloween Decorations page and knew it was the one for me to make this season. I love simple, black and I love things I can find for free, like the tree branch that the bats are dangling from.

Here is the original from Martha's site. 

                                  

And here is my attempt at making the "Bat Mobile"-

 I found a stick off of one of our trees outside and sprayed it with black spray paint.

While the spray paint dried, I printed out the bat template provided and got some black post board out. Card stock can be expensive so I just got a piece of black poster board at 2 for a $1.00 and cut it into pieces. 

Then I cut out the template, traced them by folding the paper in half. She gives you half of the bat so that you can trace it and both sides be equal. 

Last I got my dry branch, fishing string, and hole punch. I didn't punch it all the way through the paper, just punctured it a bit so I could slide the fishing string in. I hung the bats up randomly and at different lengths.

Here is my finished product! I hung it high enough over the sliding glass door to the deck so that the children couldn't reach it. It was late by the end of the day when I got it finished so there is a shadow from the light. But I think that makes it look a little spooky!

Finding the right fit

                                

Being a Mom is such an important job. You devote your time and energy into these little people and sometimes your needs and wants get put on the back burner. We tend to think that our needs are second, third or even further down the list. One thing that should be important and a necessity is the right post baby body undergarments. As much as we want to hold onto our pre-baby body pieces, most of the time after giving birth to children your body changes.

After your body changes and readjusts back to the "new normal" you should definitely have a bra fitting to ensure you are wearing the right fit for you. There are so many benefits to wearing the right bra, sometimes they can cause back pain and shoulder pain, and I don't know about you but I don't need another thing during the day to worry about. The good news is you don't have to substitute comfort for style. There are some great options out there that feel great but also look good. Just because I am a Mom that does not mean that I have to wear frumpy anything! Even under my clothes I like knowing I look good and feel good as I take on the day filled with kids, carpool, swimming lessons and everything else in between.
 
*This post is brought to you by Panache. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.

Classico National Pasta Day Oct. 17th & Giveaway

As a Mom I love making pasts dishes for my family. Its simple to make a with so many varieties of sauce and noodles the varieties are endless. When I learned that October 17th is National Pasta Day I thought how fun would it be to celebrate with a delicious Pasta dinner using Classico pasta sauce.

 My son was just as excited as I was to use some great new cooking tools we received to celebrate National Pasta Day. I like to have my son "help" by watching me cook and stirring non heated items. He loves to be my little helper.

 I was really looking forward to tasting the New Classico Creamy Spinach & Parmesan. I LOVE spinach and mixing it with Parmesan in a pasta sauce, brilliant! I loved this flavor. I have been buying the Basil flavored sauces and the creamy alfredo and now I will be adding this one to my list of ones to buy. I need to try more of them. With all the varieties of Classico sauces I can add different meats and noodles to make many great dishes. As the winter approaches I look forward to a big bowl of warm and delicious pasta for dinner.

Pasta with Classico sauce, freash french bread, a glass of wine and family makes for a perfect way to celebrate National Pasta Day!

I was not sure if my son would like this variety of sauce but he LOVED it! He gobbled it up like crazy and told me it was good. I have found the variety he likes! I am happy that it happens to be the one that has spinach in it. I know he will be asking for leftovers for lunch of this!

A little bit of Parmesan grated on top and its perfect!! You never need a reason to eat a great pasta dish but National Pasta Day is a great reason to try a new flavor like the Classico Creamy Spinach and Parmesan variety.

What will you do to celebrate Classico National Pasta Day? We are hosting a giveaway of free product coupons of Classico coupons to encourage you to try new flavors of Classico.

Enter to Win in the Rafflecopter giveaway below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway  


*In the spirit of full-disclosure, I’ve partnered with Classico and received product, coupons, premium items and reader giveaway coupons as part of my participation. However, no payment was given or expected for posting about the program, and as always, all opinions given here are fully my own.

Weekend In Pictures

~ By Sam ~

I have dropped the ball a bit on the decorating for Halloween. I like to try to get things up by the first weekend in October, here we are almost right smack dab in the middle of the month and I am just now getting around to decorating. I am going to blame in on the rain, or errr lack of rain. The weather had been so sunny and beautiful I forgot it was October in Washington. The rain has rolled in this weekend and I was quickly reminded it was in fact October and Halloween is coming!! What's the point in decorating if you can't enjoy it for a bit? So we worked on the front porch, it is simple this year, way more simple than normal. But hey, I got a late start.

Cleaning off the porch and emptying the Halloween bucket before we get started.

JJ working hard on putting the spiders in the web!

The almost finished product, pretend there are a ton of pumpkins and spiders all over. It is a start right?

The Great Mouse Detective on Blu-ray

As Disney fans in our home I love to see the older movies released on Blu-ray for my son to enjoy. I remember watching The Great Mouse Detective when I was a kid. I think detective mystery movies for kids can be a fun way for them to see logical thinking to resolve a problem while it being fun and light hearted.

Have you see The Great Mouse Detective on Blu-ray in the stores? Its available now!

A Clever Little Hero, One Great Big Adventure

Mystery in the Mist Edition

The Sherlock Holmes of Mousedom Embarks on a Heroic Journey when 

“The Great Mouse Detective” Mystery in the Mist Edition

Film Synopsis:

 “The Great Mouse Detective” Mystery in the Mist Edition arrives on 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD Digital. When the diabolical Professor Ratigan kidnaps London’s master toymaker, the brilliant Basil of Baker Street and his trusted sidekick Dawson try to elude the ultimate trap and foil the perfect crime. This family classic on Disney Blu-ray proves big heroes come in small packages.                

Mystery in the Mist Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (1 Blu-ray Disc +1 DVD) =$29.99 U.S. and $35.99 Canada

HD Digital = Consumer should check with their preferred digital retailer for pricing and additional information

Rating: G in U.S. and Canada. Bonus material not rated. Approximately 74 minutes 

Bonus Features: 

“So You Think You Can Sleuth” – Viewers get an introduction to private investigating to kick off the “Great Mouse Detective” film.

“The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” Sing-A-Long Song – young fans can sing along with Vincent Price to the song’s villainous vocals.

“The Making of the Great Mouse Detective” – In this bonus feature, fans get a behind the scenes look at this classic film.

Aspect Ratio: Blu-ray: Widescreen 1.78:1 DVD: Widescreen 1.78:1 Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions

Audio: Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD: English, French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

I asked my son to look serious as if we were thinking about a mystery lol Apparently this is his serious face.

 
*I was not paid or compensated for this post. The opinions in this post are 100% mine and may vary from other opinions. I was provided for free a copy for my review.

Not On The High Street Sarah Hickey Bracelet Review

I love going to a website that lets me shop for everything I want and things that I didn't know I wanted, all in one place. Not On The High Street is just such a place, and it offers charming and reasonably priced gift items that you will love having for yourself, and giving to family and friends.

From jewelry to housewares, lovely wedding gifts to sweet clothing for kids, you will find something you love at Not On The High Street. Started as a small venture in England in 2006, the company now offers over 50,000 products., from carefully curated British artisans. When you order a product, you are placed in the hands of the small business that has created your item and ships it right to your doorstep. Products can be shipped to many different countries, in a safe and timely manner.

I spent a long time on their website looking for jewelry that I would love for years to come. I don't wear a lot of jewelry, so each piece I own has to be special and unique. There is a very large and beautiful selection of necklaces, bracelets, rings and more to choose from. Many can be personalized for special meaning with engraving.

I chose The Pearl and Crystal Bracelet from Sarah Hickey Jewellery.  It is made with sterling silver woven with fresh water pearls, and double wrapped with shimmering crystal quartz and moonstone.

I love that it is casual enough for day wear, and dresses up a sweater and jeans beautifully. Worn at night, it can easily be the the only piece of jewelry you need to shine. Needless to say, I am very happy with my choice of bracelet, and am interested in finding more of Sarah's pieces that she makes by hand in her studio.

As we start thinking about holiday shopping, I recommend you go to Not On The High Street and see all the wonderful products that are available.
I would love to order some personalized jewelry for my daughters for Christmas. The selection is wonderful, and comes in all price ranges. There are also beautiful gifts for weddings, new babies, birthdays and more, many that can be personalized to your choosing.

To read more about Not On The High Street, and to see their complete collection of products go to notonthehighstreet.com. You can also visit them on their facebook page.

By Patricia


I was compensated with a gift certificate to Not On The High Street, and all opinions are my own.

Sunday Shopping and Thirfting is in store for us today!

~ By Sam ~

Today it is raining and windy here in Washington, what better way to spend the day than shopping and thrifting?! My Mom, Meg and Ashley and I are off to hit up any and all sales along with all of the local thrift shops. I am hoping to find some more Halloween decorations for outside, a great sweater of some sort, a costume for JJ and maybe more picture frames like the one above. I got that at a thrift store with the original Target sticker still on it for only $1.99! I love it because it is blue and brown, the colors in my living room. It holds a sweet picture of Liam, the hubby and I on our summer vacation we took this year. There are so many great things out there that are "second hand" or can be found while scouring the thrift stores. I hope we find some good scores we can share here tomorrow!

Thompson's WaterSeal Review and Giveaway

                                          


Living in Washington we have beautiful summers and cold and rainy winters. In the summer we love to hang out on our deck and enjoy the warm temps and frequent BBQ's. In the winter we hunker down inside and dream of the days when we can use our deck again. With all of the rain, and sometimes snow we have here, protecting our deck is important for the longevity of it. Thompson's WaterSeal has great weather proofing products like Watersealing, Cleaners, and Exterior Wood Stains for your deck and house. Thompson's WaterSeal products are a user-friendly, high-performance waterproofing product we are excited to use on our deck asap!

As you can see we have a big project ahead of us with our deck. It is a great time to winterize the deck, right as summer ends and fall has started. Before we know it winter will be here and we will be watching all of the rain pour over our lovely deck.  I am so glad that we know it will be protected all winter with Thompson's WaterSeal!

We have a great before and after pictures of deck redo by a Thompson's WaterSeal customer to share.

Before

After!

 We are eager to see how beautiful our deck will look after we protect ours with Thompson's WaterSeal.

You can win a Deck Care Package to protect your deck from the damage of fall!

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Oct. 12,  2012 and ends on Oct. 21, 2012 at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was provided a Deck Care Package for my review.

What's on sale you ask?

                                         

                                  

~ By Sam ~

There are lots of great things on sale right now, here are a few we like:

These cute flats are perfect for a long day on your feet.

Loving this upholstered chair to bring in a "fall like" feel to my house. Two please!

Oh my word!! How about these Ruffle-Strap Soft-Sole Mary Janes for Baby? Ashley needs these, in PINK of coarse!!

I suppose if we were going to dress up our new pup for Halloween this is not a bad price for a Disney costume. Is it me or does that dog look miserable?

Already scoping out the Christmas decorations? Love this Lenox ornament, it even has five bells to represent the five people in my not-so-little family!

Happy Shopping All!!!