Building Another Raised Garden Bed

We had so much fun with our first raised garden bed we decided to build another one. My son has been great about helping water and picking "appies", for some reason all fruits and veggies are now apples. We planted watermelons, squash, pumpkins and green beans in the new container and its looking great. This has been such a fun project for us this summer. Our tomato plant is making so many big tomatoes I cant wait to pick some and add them to a salad.

I have seen many great gardening ideas on Pinterest too. Have you checked out our Gardening Board yet?
Do you have a garden inspire board on Pinterest? We would love to see, leave us the link to check out.

Holiday Inn Express Pre Trip Review

When we started planning our Summer Vacation Road Trip we knew that our hotel costs were going to be the bulk of our expenses. We wanted a great price with great amenities, it's nice to get a good price but quality is just as important. We seem to have found both with the Holiday Inn Express in Roseville, California!

Just looking over their web site we see that our stay will be comfortable with lots of extras. They have an outdoor pool, we can surf the net with free high-speed wireless Internet or we can work out in the fitness center. With 2 adults and 3 children and so many meals out, the free hot breakfast bar featuring their famous cinnamon rolls is definitely a bonus for this family! 

They also offer a Best Price Guarantee here is more about it from their site-
We're so sure the best prices for our hotels are found on our websites that we were the first to offer the most powerful price guarantee ever by a global travel company. Find a lower price elsewhere and your first night is free.  That's our Best Price Guarantee and just one of many benefits you get with the Book With Us Advantage.

Think the Best Price Guarantee is cool? How about one more added bonus from Holiday Inn Express? They are offering a $75 prepaid Mastercard just for staying 2 consecutive weekend nights! Here's more info-
Getting your $75 Vacation Pay Prepaid MasterCard® is easy. Here’s how:
Stay for two consecutive weekend nights (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) between May 14, 2012 and September 3, 2012 at any one of the over 4,500 hotels in the IHG® Family of Brands and we’ll give you a $75 Vacation Pay Prepaid MasterCard (up to $300) to explore.

There are so many local attractions that we will be close to staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Roseville. For instance we are right by the Golfland Family Fun Center and Amusement Park, Magic Circle Theatre, the Maidu Indian Museum, Folsom Lake and the Westfield Galleria Mall.  We can't wait for our vacation to start and can't wait to stay at the Holiday Inn Express! Go here to make your reservation today!

To learn more about Holiday Inn Express Roseville CA you can follow them on Twitter and be a fan on Facebook. 

*We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express for our Frugal Family Tree Summer Vacation Road Trip. We will be provided accommodations and were not paid for this post.

Hallmark "Tell Them" Blogger Event San Francisco CA

Earlier this month Hallmark invited a group of select bloggers to San Francisco CA to learn more about the Tell Them campaign. I was unable to attend the event but ended up being glad to be home since that day I learned that my Dad was in the hospital. Odd how that works. I would have not been home to hear the news. My siblings and I went to go see our Dad and we are all happy to have done so. Its times of sickness we realize how we need to express that we love each other no matter what. I need to make it my priority to tell the people I love that I love them and cherish them not just at times of health crisis but all the time.

Hallmark's "Moments & Milestones" tour, visiting new cities and connecting even more people around the country with the people behind the Hallmark brand and fostering personal connections through engaging activities and discussions.

The third stop in 2012 was San Francisco and here are some of the memorable, compelling and/or humorous stories those in attendance shared with us about important Fathers in their lives. Everyone has something they need to hear. Vow to Tell Them today. Facebook.com/TellThem

Here is the San Francisco Bloggers Father's Day Video:
(My story starts at 1:13 and I see someone I know at about 1:33 lol )




Here is the Hallmark Commercial for the Tell Them campaign:

 

At the event bloggers were given T-shirts to wear about the Tell Them idea. I wore mine to go see my family as a reminder to "Tell Them" things they need to know.

Hallmark has super cute Recordable stories and Recordable Artwork. These would make a great gift anytime to share how much you care for someone.

I love sending cards. Hallmark sent me many cute cards for the just because kind of occasion. This one made me laugh about Girls Night Out. In the age of text messaging and emails we often forget how comforting a card can be. Its something to hold and read knowing your loved one picked it out and signed it. 

Remember to take the time to tell someone how you feel. Let someone know that you love them, that your thinking of them, a thank you and just that your glad to be in their life. A small comment and a card can really cheer someone up. You never know when you card might be just what they needed.

Thank you Hallmark for including me in the Hallmark Tell Them Tour. 

*I was not compensated for this post. Hallmark sent me the items pictured in this post. The opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine and your experience may vary.

Date Night Friday Movies at Home

I love watching movies at home. I enjoy the hour and a half or so of story telling. I like to get lost in the movie and try to just be in the moment. Its a time for my husband and I to have a mini date night. We generally agree on movies making it fun to go back and forth between ones I pick and ones he picks.

A few we have watched that were interesting have been:

Jeff Who Lives at Home - Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon- This was funny about siblings and accepting each other as we are

A Thousand Words - Eddie Murphy - This is a sweet movie about forgiveness and love

21 Jump Street - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill - This was super funny! I had no clue what to expect since I had not seen any previews. It was silly but good silly. Even a moment with Johnny Depp in it.

 Journey 2 - Dwayne Johnson "the rock" - Loved this movie. Very colorful and fun.

A few movies I was disappointed in:

Sherlock Holmes 2
John Carter

What movies have you rented lately?

Fishing in the Desert?

Living in Cali I am surrounded by places to go fishing. We have the ocean, rivers, lakes and ponds to select from. I love fishing. Its a great way to unplug and get lost in nature for a while. We never really catch anything worth keeping, we catch and release. But the fun part is hanging out near the water and the fun fishing stuff you can buy. Yes as a woman I turn fishing into shopping lol.

I have always wanted to visit one of the big Bass Pro Shops in person. The ones here is CA are too far to just go there to see. I was so surprised when I saw a Bass Pro Shop in Las Vegas. We were driving down the freeway from the airport and there it was. I declared we have to go there! Thankfully other family members wanted to go and we were able to go the next day.

It was such a cool store full of boats, fishing stuff, awesome displays, clothing and so much more. Even a waterfall and a stuffed giraffe!

This made me think of my son, who LOVES giraffes

Oddly though I thought to myself I cant find a Bass Pro Shop in Nor Cali but I can find one in the desert?!?! Where is the closest place to go Bass Fishing in Vegas? lol