Preparing for a Summer Fun Family Night with Nestle and Tombstone

I just adore being a grandmother and spending time with my grandchildren is a true joy in my life. I think I'm very lucky to have these four marvelous little people to love.

We always enjoy getting together as a family, and I love trying to come up with creative ideas to have fun with my grandchildren. We had Dinner and A Movie Night a few months ago and it was such a big hit with everyone that I decided it was time to do it again. Summer is the perfect time for casual, fun family gatherings and  there is no such thing as too much fun in my book!

I headed to my local Walmart to do a little shopping for our Dinner and A Movie Night. My two little grandsons love ice cream and pizza of course, so that is what is on the menu. Nana likes to make them happy!

We have all loved Nestle Drumsticks in our family for years, so they are the perfect choice as a treat to have while we watch the movie. But with all these choices of drumsticks, I just have to get a few different kinds!

My family always enjoys Nestle Tombstone Pizza so that's what I've chosen to get for dinner. I love pizza with tons of toppings, especially veggies, but the kids only like pepperoni pizza. I'll buy a few of the Tombstones so that there will be plenty of pizza for our fun night.

My cart full of Nestle Tombstone #GrabSummerFun items from Walmart

I have picked up some chips and dip, pinwheels for the boys, bubbles, and some fun paper plates. I'm hoping we don't have any rain so that we can have dinner out on the deck, and the kids can blow bubbles and play with their pinwheels before we eat.

I have also found a cute painting project on Pinterest from SheKnows.com for them to do. It is so simple and easy for young children to do, and I love the 4th of July theme. The boys love painting and this will be fun. Here's hoping the sun shines!

On the evening of our little party, it is pouring down rain. I am disappointed that we can't eat outside and the kids can't play outside either. But we will just eat inside and not let the rain stop us from having fun. We always like to #GrabSummerFun indoors or out!

I'm making the classic and super simple onion soup and sour cream dip to go with potato chips. I know some people might think it's a little out of date but I fondly remember my parents making it all the time. I still love it and so does my family.

It is so easy preparing for our Dinner and A Movie Night that I feel almost like I'm cheating! But easy is good, and as long as my family has fun, that's all that matters.

I'm previewing a couple of movies to see what we should watch. The kids love Alvin and The Chipmunks, but I also want to choose something that will appeal to the grown-ups too. But who doesn't love Alvin? I know I still do!

This preview looks pretty cute and age appropriate for the little guys. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked will be our movie this evening. My preparations for dinner and A Movie Night are easy enough that I can relax and enjoy myself with my family. Can't wait to get started, and I am getting a little hungry for that Tombstone pizza and Drumstick ice cream. I'll let you know how our night turns out!


You can read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart to shop for Nestle and Tombstone items for my Grab Summer Fun Family Night.

 *I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Nestle #CBias #SocialFabric  #GrabSummerFun All opinions are my own.

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?