The Life and Times of the Perry Family

Before They Were Famous

2011-08-16T16:04:00.002-07:00

Check this out and see how many you recognize now. Some look a LOT different!

Life As I Know It

2011-08-11T08:37:00.003-07:00

Life pretty much sucks lately for everyone around me~ or anyone living in this crappy assed economy. BUT, I have decided that you can be a giant bag of toxicity or you can be a happy, good person who spreads joy.
I have decided to spread joy and am going to stop pouting about things I can do nothing to change and start writing again (I know, y'all can't wait).
Seriously though, stay tuned and check back. Don't give up on me. I have some giveaways to do, some funny stories that I am in the process of writing about and my happy face is back on.
Welcome back Blog World!!!

He should have been awarded not charged!

2011-07-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with courts lately?? Seems like anybody can murder someone and get away with it, but punch just one child molester and into prison you go.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/massachusetts/new-bedford-prisoner-punches-suspected-child-molester-in-court

Seriously????

2011-06-08T07:29:00.002-07:00

Good Lord Delta, we used to be able to get a ticket for what you now get per bag. And soldiers??? If anyone should get a "pass" it should be the soldiers defending our country! Don't really know if I will fly Delta again.......

Giveaway Winners

2011-01-17T18:36:00.003-07:00

Pop A Tot~~ @ 16 Brenda @ blandrews13

Hedgehogs & Hairbows~~ #69 Raggedy Baby @ Raggedy Baby Creations

Pet Cakes~~ # 16 Lulu @ In The Kitchen With Lulu

Nachomama Tshirt~~ # 3 Tammy @ Queen Size funny Bone

Emails will be going out tonight and winners have 48 hours to respond or I will choose another winner. Thanks to everyone for having so much patience. I will let you all know what has been going on soon.

Giveaways still open

2010-12-21T08:13:00.002-07:00

I know I have giveaway winners to announce, but I have had a slight family emergency so anything that is still up, is still eligible for entry and hopefully we will get everything on track and the winners drawn later this week. Everybody please say a prayer for our new baby and I will tell you all about her when I come back.

Smiles

2010-12-13T14:33:00.006-07:00

I'm entering this photo in the Invisalign Teen Bright Smiles Holiday Photo Contest with Dumb Mom. All you have to do is submit your post which should feature one or more photos of smiles that brighten your holidays and you can win an awesome prize. But don't do it!! I don't want the competition because I really want to win this.

Here are the smiles that brightened my life this past year!

Smiles in the tub,

Smiles in the pool,

Smiles of the most mischievous little boy in the world

And smiles that live on only in my heart because Heaven needed this little angel.

All these smiles made my year perfect and I can't wait for the next ones!!

Pet Cakes Review & Giveaway

2010-12-13T02:20:00.003-07:00

Super Duper Christmas Ideas!!!!

PetCakes Series 1 is made up of these sweet puppies:

Randy Candy™ is a lovable mutt, scampering around playfully and taking long naps in his cupcake wrapper. Randy Candy is topped with tasty frosting and a cherry.

Blueberry Buddy™ is a Shar Pei who acts tough for his size but is a loving push over who’s as sweet as the blueberry frosting on his head. When sleepy, Blueberry Buddy cozies up in his own cupcake wrapper.

Twinkle Sprinkles™ is a playful, loving, and mischievous Beagle, whose colorful pink sprinkled frosting top looks good enough to eat! Twinkle Sprinkles likes to yelp when happy and sleep in her cupcake wrapper where her nose stays nice and toasty.

Coco-Coconut™ is a fluffy poodle with a loving side that is as sweet as a frosted cupcake. Cuddle Coco-Coconut and keep her cozy in her cupcake wrapper.WellMade Toy Manufacturing Company has generously offered one reader 2 PetCakes of the company's choosing.

My girls have not let them out of their sight since the package arrived in the mail. They even hide them in their backpacks and take them to school. I have had a call from the teacher asking not to let them come because they take over the classroom and a dozen calls from moms asking me where to get them because all the kids are wanting them.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the next series and they are just as dang cute!!

PetCakes Series 1 are available at http://www.toysrus.com/ (online only, not in stores), http://www.etoys.com/, http://www.amazon.com/ and specialty stores. They retail for $13.99 per pet. BUT......The great folks at PetCakes has offered one of my readers a set of 2 PetCakes, companies choice, just for entering here.

Mandatory Entry~~ Make a comment on a non-giveaway post and tell me which one. This must be done for other entries to count.

Extra entries:
1entry- Grab the Our Crazy Life button.

1 entry- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this free giveaway up to once a day!

1 entry- Become a friend on Facebook

3 entries- Have a friend come over and enter this giveaway and tell me you sent them.

1 entry- subscribe to my feeds either Google or email.

1 entry - Blog about this free giveaway and post the link here.

1 entry- Enter my other giveaways and post 1 comment for each one you entered. Make sure to leave separate comments.

2 entries-Submit this giveaway to a giveaway site and let me know which one.

~Hedgehogs n Hairbows Review/Giveaway~~

2010-12-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Super Duper Christmas Ideas!!!!

I love doing my girls hair. Braids, pony tails, barrettes and clippies. I have a HUGE box full of things that will keep their hair done for years (or about 2 days when Libby get ahold of it). Every. Single. Time. I go in a store, I buy more~ it is like an addiction. So when I saw these cute as heck bows I knew I had found a place I could love shopping~ especially with a new granddaughter coming this month!! Hedgehogs 'n' Hairbows is the name of the website with, in my opinion, the absolutely cutest bows, headbands and hair ribbons. So when I found them I did what all red blooded American bloggers do, I contacted them about a review and giveaway.

Kisten is the mastermind and artist behind these wonderful pieces. Take a look at some of my very favorites.

I know, I always have way to many favorites to show you~ but that is me~ a mind never made up. Although I am serious when I tell you I could go (Hedge)Hog wild in this place!! (I know I am corny, but hey, that is what makes me me!)

I chose these for my new granddaughter~ what do you think?

My choices are called the "Candy Dots Dixie" headband and the "Fairy Loopy" Loopy Bow.

When they came I was pleasantly surprised at the quality number 1, and then the size of the Loopy Bow. It is huge!! So perfect for the tiny head of curls it will be going on! As my daughter puts it "The bigger the better and this is great!!" I am telling you now that you would be hard pressed to find something this well made and so easy to afford anywhere else~~trust me I have looked.

With the super curly hair that my daughter's kids have these will look so cute!
I put them on my grandson to see what they will look like on his sister, but was told I would face a fate worse than death should I post a picture on the net with my grandson in a hair bow~ so you will have to imagine for yourself~ Thanks for not killing me Max & Jacki!

Take these pictures (courtesy of Bing.com & Natures Parlour) and put those beautiful bows on that curly hair.

See I told you~~ BEAUTIFUL!!!
So go on over and check out Kisten's products and see what you think. I know you will find something you love to and it is all so very affordable!!

Then come back here and enter and you too can be the owner of some super cute (free) Hedgehogs n Hairbows products.

Kisten has generously offered one of my readers their choice of 1 headband and 1 bow. As always, here is how you enter. Have fun!!

First off, and mandatory, go visit Hedgehogs 'n Hairbows, then come back here and tell me which one that you would want if you win. This must be done for your other entries to count.

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:
1 entry~ Follow me via Google Friend, Reader.
1 entry~ Grab my button and tell me where you have it.
1 entry~ Subscribe via Google email.
2 entries~ Follow Hedgehogs 'n Hairbows on Facebook and leave a comment about this giveaway or their product.
2 entries~ Follow Hedgehogs 'n Hairbows on Twitter and comment for each day you tweet about this giveaway.
2 entries~ Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment for each day you tweet about this giveaway.
2 entries~ Follow me on Facebook
1 entry~ Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which one
3 entries~ Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

Contest ends December 22, 2010 at 11:59 pm.
I will draw a winner using Random.org. Please leave your email address if it is not easily visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

~PopATot Review & Giveaway~

2010-12-01T23:59:00.001-07:00

Super Duper Christmas Ideas!!!!

Somebody grab the baby!!!

Ever been at the park, the lake, the beach, a family reunion, camping, or just in the yard or in the house and heard those words?

I have, and I am, usually the one yelling them. My kids were, and now my grandchildren are, total escape artists. Put them in a play pen and they climb up the side and out they go. No matter what I am doing it seems I am always chasing a kid or two.

But that all ended the other day when I got a PopATot in the mail. When given the choice I actually picked pink because the new baby coming will be a girl and I thought I would get more use out of it, but I put Zeke in it to try it out, thinking that since he is almost 2 and a big 2 at that he would be out of it in a minute. And although he can scale a wall and get onto the trampoline by flying it seems (no matter what I move he still manages it somehow) he could not get out of the PopATot. I even left him there for several minutes after he asked to get out because I knew he would try harder if he really wanted out and he could not do it!! Then I gave him a magazine and he relaxed back and took some more relaxation time just laying back and being all chill.

Yes~~ finally some peace at our house from the little rug rat when I go to the bathroom~ no more fingers under the door, and most important, when the baby comes and we are spending the spring and summer outside at the exact time she will be starting to crawl and get into everything, I will have peace of mind for a few minutes when I walk around to see what the other little beasties are up to.

Now when I put Zeke in the PopATot I didn't attach any toys because I wasn't really planning on using it for more than a minute before he crawled out of it, but the awesome way it is set up or made, whichever way you prefer it, stopped him from being able to. He loved the feeling it gave him and said he was "rocking" or "walking" it is kind of hard to decide sometimes, but either way, he liked it and bounced around in it for a good 10 minutes before he realized he had no toys to play with. This being my point I didn't give him any and he did his best to climb out and not only was he staying put, he didn't come anywhere near tipping over or being able to move it around. How cool is that~ a stationary 2 year old!!

Sorry about the bad picture quality~~ I have a Nikon D90 on my Christmas wish list so we will see what Santa thinks about how much he likes me ;-)

The PopATot has several little attachments places to add your childs own favorite toys onto so they can't play the throw and fetch game with you every 2 minutes and it has 2 places for bottles, sippy's or snacks. The bottom of the PopATot is fully covered canvas material so your baby wont get their feet all yucky in whatever surface you have set them on outside and makes a great crumb catcher for inside use and the whole thing can just be squirted off because it is completely washable. And one of the best features in my opinion, especially if you are taking it anywhere besides home to use, it folds up to the size of a fold up chair and fits in a little carrying bag. No more having to shove in a huge play pen or exerciser. Perfect for vacations, grandma's house, or an outside baby seat any place.

I cannot even imagine how nice it will be come springtime when we are painting and doing spring cleaning and we have a comfy place for the baby to hang out. It even looks like she can get in a comfy position if she falls alseep instead of doing the jello neck- head bob thing. I'm excited to have spring come so we can find out all the uses we can for it.

I am also thinking of giving several women I know who are pregnant one for their baby shower, it will make a perfect gift for Christmas too and I am quite sure it isn't something they would want to return. They also have very fast and free shipping to the lower 48 states.

Go on over to PopATot and take a look to see which one you like best and you can buy one there.

The ONLY bad thing I can even think of (if you can even call it bad) is that it would be great to have a few more color choices, but I am sure that will come as the company grows and as it is there is something for boys and girls already so it isn't really a negative, just a personal preference.

Or you can win one here by following the entry options below. Good luck everyone!!

First off, and mandatory, go visit PopATot, then come back here and tell me which one that you would want if you win.

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1 entry~ Follow me via Google Friend, Reader.

1 entry~ Grab my button and tell me where you have it.

1 entry~ Subscribe via Google email.

2 entries~ Follow PopATot on Facebook and leave a comment about this giveaway or their product.

2 entries~ Follow PopATot on Twitter and comment for each day you tweet about this giveaway.

2 entries~ Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment for each day you tweet about this giveaway.

2 entries~ Follow me on Facebook

1 entry~ Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which one

3 entries~ Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

Contest ends December 15, 2010 at 11:59 pm. I will draw a winner using Random.org. Please leave your email address if it is not easily visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

Nachomama Tees Review & Giveaway

2010-12-01T12:09:00.003-07:00

Super Duper Christmas Ideas!!!!

Nachomama Tees has a great selection of shirt for those with regular minds and senses of humor AND us with twisted minds. They are very well made with the softest material ever. My husband actually wore his 2 parties in a row because it is so true and right on the money for him. What do you think??

Nachomama's says " The search is over; you have found your unparalleled source for funny t-shirts! At Nacho Mama Tees our crazy t shirt developers have come up with the best mens t- shirts online! Buy hangover t shirts, step brother t- shirts and chuck norris shirts! Shirts are printed on high quality cotton shirts that won't fall apart after the first wash. So see what your missing and catch all the novelty shirts and the one stop funny t- shirt shop!"

That is no lie, and they really do have a huge selection. We have chosen several to use for Christmas presents for out friends and family. These are some of our favorites.

You can find one that fits about everyones personality. Funny, crazy, offensive, whatevery- they have it!! They claim to be the funny shirt experts and I believe that is the truth. They offer vintage, unique novelty, movie and stylish t-shirts.

The Awesome Amy at NachomamaTees has offered one of my readers their choice of any t-shirt $15.00 or less from their equally awesome collection. All you need to do it go on over there and come to tell me what you would choose. So get going!!!

Mandatory Entry~~ Go visit Nachomama Tees , come back here and tell me something you would love to have from them. This must be done for other entries to count.

2 entries- Tell me the funniest thing you have ever seen on a shirt.

1entry- Grab the Our Crazy Life button and let me know where you put it.

1 entry- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this free giveaway up

to once a day!

1 entry- Become my friend on Facebook

1 entry- subscribe to my feeds either Google or email.

1 entry - Blog about this free giveaway and post the link here.

1 entry- Enter my other giveaways and post 1 comment for each one

you enter. Make sure to leave separate comments.

2 entries-Submit this giveaway to a giveaway site and let me know

which one.

Giveaway ends on 12/15/10 @ 11:59pm

Santa and other Christmas Oriented Costumes

2010-11-29T20:55:00.018-07:00

Are you looking for a great Santa Suit to play Santa for the kids, a office party or neighborhood get together? Check these out from Costume Discounters.

They also come with a free wig and beard~ up to a $69.99 value.

Doing a play or Christmas program? Look at these cute options.

And of course it wouldn't be Christmas without a living nativity.

So if you are in the market for any of these oh so cute costumes for these or any other reason go check out Costume Discounters and see these and dozens of others. I am sure they have anything you are looking for at great prices and super cute selections!!

Zoo Wok

2010-11-27T02:43:00.001-07:00

Just working on a few posts and came across this picture I took at the zoo this summer~~~ Just seemed a little strange to me. Make sure and come back all week, I have some super Christmas ideas and some great giveaways every day this week.

Flings Bins Winner

2010-10-27T18:52:00.002-07:00

Winner for the Flings Bins in Tammy from Queen-Size funny bone.

Giveaway Winners!!

2010-10-21T19:33:00.003-07:00

Winners have been notified and have 72 hours to respond or I will pick again. Lots of new ones coming up this week so make sure and come back!!

Charm Factory Bracelet 27 entries~~winner jdsmyrf3

Hearthsong Seesaw 94 entries~~ winner~~ Holly

Costume Super Center 38 entries~~ winner~~ Tiffany

Smiley Cookies 39 entries~~ Winner~~ Concern

Congratulations everyone!!

Who Did It???

2010-10-20T12:54:00.004-07:00

All my dear daughters.......

Somebody better fess up and fast.

While I was helping my almost 2 year old grandson go potty on the toilet I situated him so neither I nor the room would get sprayed and his innocent little self~ who never does anything wrong~ (or so I am told I think that) looked up at me and told me has a weiner.

Which ever of you taught him that had better stop it or I will tell him you all have giny's and boobies and have him talk about it in public. Just so ya know............

**Photo from Awesome Animal Artwork**

sent to me from a friend and I love it!!

~~Flings Bins~Pop Up Recycling & Trash Bins~~

2010-10-12T08:37:00.002-07:00

When you are hanging out at a parade, having a party at home, a BBQ in your yard, birthday party for the kids or just need a good sized garbage can that doesn't take up a ton of room in your sewing or craft room I have found just the thing. They store at just over 1 inch thick, they come brightly colored so the kids in the yard or at the party wont miss them or with cute patterns so they can fit in with your room decor. They also come in holiday prints and a really cute recycling bag for your soda cans, paper products, plastics~ whatever you recycle in your area.

What are they you ask? Flings Bins collapsible trash cans.

This is a blurb from the Flings Bins web site:

"These bins are convenient, portable, and always ready to use. Place them around your event and let trash and recycling clean-up take care of itself so you can sit back and enjoy the party. Afterward, just tie and toss or recycle and re-use. Flings Bins really make cleanup a snap! Every Flings Bin is 13 gallon tall kitchen size and leak proof so you never have to worry about a thing.

You can use them anytime and anywhere: dinner parties, graduation, music festivals, tailgating, picnics in the park, weddings, holiday gatherings, sports games, at home, and more!"

I can tell you that I was more than a bit surprised when the package came and it was so small and flat. My first thought was there is no way this is a 13 gallon trash bin. But then I followed the super easy directions, shook it out and I was amazed when it instantly became about a 3 foot tall, medium size garbage bag that stood up on its own. No hanging the bag on the door knob for half of what gets put in it to miss and end up on the floor and no huge garbage can right in the middle of my way. Plus it was so freaking cute!! What do you think??

Here is the Flings Bins sustainability promise:

"We are committed to creating innovative new eco trash can products that make your life easier while also taking close care of our world. Flings containers make recycling and trash management more attractive and fun for your events, which is something everyone can agree on. But what you may not know is that we are continuously working with material suppliers and trash haulers to ensure the highest use of recycled materials in our products, and make Flings evermore compatible with our country's trash infrastructure."

And their information about the recycling containers:

"By creating a product that makes recycling easier and better looking, it is our mission to help our customers take a small step that will make a huge difference for our beautiful planet. Each time you use a Flings Pop-up Recycle Bin in your home or office, up to 60 bottles and cans are saved from the nation's landfills. As part of our sustainability commitment to you, we use biodegradable and recycled materials in all our products. And, we are actively working with waste haulers to continue to integrate Flings into trash and recycling systems everywhere."

Now just as I was getting this post ready to go I got an email from the awesome Mallory with this information:
**Flings Halloween Special Promotion!**
**Flings is giving away 2 Flings Halloween bins for just a penny! Make your Halloween party the neatest and most convenient ever! Just pay regular shipping and handling of $5. Take a picture of the bin at your party(perhaps with you and your friends in costume), upload it to your Facebookpage, link it to us, and we'll refund your shipping and handling onto yourcredit card. It's a scary good deal!*

So if that is not a good enough deal for you I got one even better. Mallory has agreed to give one of my readers their choice of any of the Fling Bins patterns and also a Recycle Fling Bin. So take a look at these patterns and follow the directions below and these cool trash bins can be yours.

First off, and mandatory, go visit Flings Bins then come back here and tell me one thing that you would love to own.
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:
1 entry~ Follow me via Google Friend, Reader.
1 entry~ Grab my button and tell me where you have it.
1 entry~ Subscribe via Google email.

2 entries~ Like me on Facebook
2 entries~ Like Flings Bins on Facebook and leave a comment
2 entries~ Follow me on Twitter, tweet about this giveaway. You can do this once a day, leave a separate comment for each day you do.
1 entry~ Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which one

1 entry for each giveaway that you enter. Please leave separate comments for each thing you do.
3 entries~ Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

Pulling a The David Cook for NILMDTS

2010-10-11T15:40:00.004-07:00

A while back, the wonderful Aunt Becky at Mommy wants Vodka had engineered an evil take over plan of the internet with the help of John C. Mayer~~ only he didn’t know it. We tormented Google, and just generally enjoyed ourselves so much that Aunt Becky named us her Merry Band of Pranksters. She has since been waging a pointless war (her words) against John C. Mayer for years. She pulled an Internet prank that got her to #1 on Google if you searched for John Mayer, but has recently decided to lift the prank and stop tricking Google (Go here to read all about it if you want to) and use her super powers for the greater good of the universe, at least for this short time, She is now trying to raise awareness for charities, and is pulling another prank...a positive prank...that she refers to as "Pulling A The David Cook For Charities", a good deed that I jumped right in on.
We, Aunt Becky’s Merry Band of Pranksters are using the fun ability to screw with Google to promote worthy charities. You want to be involved in Pulling a The David Cook? Head on over to Mommy Wants Vodka for better information and directions than I am able to give and join in. Although I have never pulled a The David Cook before, it sounds like all kinds of The David Cook fun!!
To help out all you The David Cook fans who are wondering when you bumped your head and are looking around to see if you have skipped to an alternate universe and time zone and trying to figure out what the hell happened on Google and how all of you The David Cook fans ended up here? It’s a way of pranking the search engines and getting top rating on a search. That’s right The David Cook fans, I am not a David Cook fan page and I don’t even know who the awesomeness of David Cook really is except that he was on American Idol and since I only watch that the first few weeks when people are making complete asses out of themselves or being paid to sing so bad it makes my ear drums hurt~~ I have never really decided which although I do know that if I sang like a screeching jungle monkey in heat I would never go on national television to do it. Are all those people deaf??? So anyway, back to The David Cook, I probably never heard him sing because, obviously, he didn’t get chosen to be made a fool of. I am assuming The David Cook is an awesome singer who sounds nothing like the jungle monkeys previously mentioned.
ANYWAY……
Back to where I got lost at........Aunt Becky’s new passion is the Pulling a The David Cook for Charity. The details are here and you can even win free ice cream for a year for posting about your chosen charity. I bet even The David Cook likes ice cream and if not and you don’t eat it because The David Cook doesn’t, I will be glad to use the prize for you because I likes me some ice cream and so do my babies.
I thought about it and since I have only so much brain power left over after all The David Cook things going on in my head I decided that I am with my wonderful Aunt Becky and chose NILMDTS or Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, the awesome non-profit that took the beautiful pictures of Zariah the day she left us to return to Heaven. You can read about that here and then again here about meeting Sam Puc the founder of NILMDTS if you are so inclined. Also here is a copy of a post from her blog that tells about NILMDTS. But I will tell you this, all of you The David Cook Fans, when you are done you will be NILMDTS fans too. You never know, maybe even The David Cook will be a fan of NILMDTS and they of The David Cook. Hopefully, NILMDTS doesn't mind being part of this prank for goodness too much, because I think it's really important to tell people about them and if they do mind being part of our little prank~~I am sorry Sam.

"Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is an non-profit organization that I’ve supported for many years. Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a network of volunteer professional photographers that travel to the hospital when a baby is stillborn or born too sick to survive to take free professional photographs for the family to remember their child by. For these families, the professional portraits that Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep provides are some of the only keepsakes that they are able to remember their child by.
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep believes that these portraits are an important, integral part of the healing aspect of grief and grieving. Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep always accepts volunteer photographers (READ: If you are a photographer please donate some of your time!!~~this is from Trina not Sam!). Awareness of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep photographers by medical professionals can make the difference in the lives of many grieving families, so please, spread the word about this awesome charity."

So all of my readers, all 7 of you, please, please, please when it comes time to donate or if you, God forbid, ever need the services of a awesome place like this, think of Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. It is not something I would have ever thought about and I am so glad that someone else brought it up to me. I can't imagine life without the beautiful pictures of our little angel.
And for those The David Cook fans, thanks for hanging out with the Merry Pranksters today!!

Outside My Office Window

2010-10-11T06:32:00.002-07:00

There are always deer outside my office because they live in the orchards that grow as you come onto campus. But this week they are doing some road work at the entrance and the deer must be a little more afraid of the machinery than they are the people because they are hanging out on this edge of the orchard instead of in the middle. This is what I see when I look out the windows in the building I am in.
Mama's ..............

and their babies.

How dang cute is that???
Make sure and enter all my giveaways this week and come back because a whole bunch of new ones will be going next week.

Love ya all,

Smiley Cookies Review & Giveaway

2010-10-02T08:30:00.003-07:00

See this cute freaking box???

The one that I am going to be ordering dozens of cookies to be delivered in because I have the need to have a ton of them for storing my scrapbook stickers and pictures???? (Good idea, isn't it)

Something even better than the awesomeness of this box is what comes in it.

Can you guess what comes in it??? I know, I can hear all the "DUH'S" crossing the planet now. You are all right~~

COOKIES!!!!

Yummy, Yummy Sugar Cookies.

Packaged like this so they are fresh and none were broken.

Not only are these the closest thing to homemade I have ever tasted, they are delivered right to my mailbox and I have no messy kitchen to deal with. I can even choose the shape, color of cookie and the color of icing for the smile. And if I want to have the time with the kids I can have them send me baked cookies and we can decorate them ourselves. On the packaging it says to put in the microwave for a few seconds for warm, homemade goodness and they are not exagerating one little bit!!

Check these out:

Don't those cute little pumpkins look perfect for Halloween parties?

Smiley Cookies also have super cute packages for baby showers or gifts for the new mom & dad:

I LOVE these and they are going to be my go to gift for everyone having babies around me!!

Smiley Cookies also has other gift sets and Gift Cards. Here is a small sample of them.

And look at this cute Smiley mug. This I must have!!

Trust me, you will not be sorry when you buy these for your next birthday or any other celebration, gift or even for everyday. They are that good!!

Now, the part of the post everyone loves the best~~ Adam at Smiley Cookies has so generously offered to give one of my readers their choice of 1 dozen Smiley Cookies. All you need to do is follow the entry directions below. Good Luck everyone!!

First off, and mandatory, go visit Smiley Cookies then come back here and tell me one thing that you would love to have from their yummy line.

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1 entry~ Follow me via Google.

1 entry~ Grab my Our Crazy Life button and tell me where you have it.

1 entry~ Subscribe to the Smiley Cookies Club (bottom right corner).

2 entries~ Follow Smiley Cookies on Facebook.

2 entries~ Follow Smiley Cookies on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can do this once a day, leave a separate comment for each day you do.

2 entries~ Follow me on Facebook

2 entries~ Follow me on Twitter.

1 entry~ Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which one

2 entries~ Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

Contest ends 10/15/10 at 11:59 pm. I will draw a winner using Random.org. Please leave your email address if it is not easily visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

~~Puppies & Kittens~ A Post for Lisa~~

2010-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the picture of our new litter of teacups. The darker brown one is the female. The pictures farther down show the last litter and the brown one should look about like the smaller of the two brown ones that are together- the one that Libby is holding.

We also have 2 pure white super fluffy kittens with pretty blue eyes that would love to live on a farm. Their momma is a super good mouser~ I can prove it because she brings us dead ones occasionally to show us how proud she is.

Costume Super Center Review & Giveaway

2010-10-01T08:30:00.001-07:00

We have been looking for Halloween costumes that are not the same old Princess and Witch that the girls have been for the past 3 years. We wanted something that was super cute and something that they could use for playing dress up after Halloween because they love to play dress up like no other and with me being one of the cheapest human beings on the planet, there is nothing better than being able to use the costumes throughout the year instead of just one time.

Charles from Costume Discounters offered to let us pick one from their great online store.

The girls searched and searched and went through every page at least a dozen times because they were all so cute they just could not decide. I finally had to give them a time limit or we were never going to get done because they wanted them all!

Libby decided she wanted to be a cowgirl and I thought "How easy" figuring there would be one choice and the searching would be over, but they carry 9 different cowgirl costumes. How cool is it to have a variety like that? She finally chose the Child Western Diva and then waited with baited breath until it arrived.

The day it came she couldn't wait to get it on. And look how cute it is on her. (I swear that is not dirt on my carpet, the kids were just playing on their seesaw and made dark spot designs on the brand new carpet)

The costume came with the dress and attached vest. We got a size Medium because a lot of the costumes we have gotten in the past have run small, but this one runs real close to the stated size and if I was to get another one I would go with the size it says would fit.

The dress came with only the dress/vest combination and although the Costume Super Center does offer the extras to go with the dress I wasn't sure about the time to get it here for an extra early party the girls are going to so we went over to the local Dollar Store and grabbed the cute little pink hat, a Princess crown and the badge/gun combination. Those simple things dressed the costume up nicely for next to nothing.

Costume Super Center doesn't only carry kids costumes. They have great stuff for Men, Women, Infant & Toddler and Plus Sizes. Being plus size myself I have found it quite difficult the past few years to find anything really cute for Halloween and usually end up in something that looks like a mumu. But I found at least 3 on the site that I would love to have.

They also carry wigs, masks, make-up, accessories and decorations. Another awesome bonus for people who love their pets like I do and go a little crazy dressing them up at times, is that they carry a good variety of pet costumes.

They also guarantee that if you find the identical costume somewhere else on the internet that they will match the price AND take off 20%. They offer free exchanges, same day shipping and free expedited shipping on orders of $70 or more. They also have some absolutely awesome prices on clearance merchandise.

Costume Super Center has generously offered one of my readers their choice of any costume up to $50 retail value.

To enter go visit Costume Super Center and then come back here and tell me what you might choose. This is mandatory and must be done before other entries are valid.

Extra entries:

2 entries for following me on Facebook.

2 entries for following me on Twitter.

1 entry each time you tweet about this giveaway (once per day)

1 entry for grabbing the "Our Crazy Life" button and putting it on your blog list/roll (tell me where to find it).

1 entry for each entry into another one of my giveaways (tell me which one).

3 entries for blogging about this giveaway and linking back to it (tell me where to find it).

1 entry for following me on Google feed.

4 entries for buying something from Costume Super Center before the end of this giveaway (I do check).

Please leave separate comments for each thing you do.

Contest ends October 15, 2010 @ 11:59pm

A Big Thanks to Smiths~

2010-10-01T07:20:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to Las Vegas to the Smith's 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series courtesy of Smith's Grocery Store. They gave us 4 tickets and it was SUPER. My husband has been down to NASCAR races before and I never went because I thought tickets were outrageously priced and I didn't think I would have any fun. But with Smith's footing the bill I opted to go check it out.

Now when I was a kid and even up to when I was a teenager, my dad drag raced and raced stock cars at a local track here. It was cool and I even enjoyed it when I was forced to go with my family~~ just don't tell anyone that because they all think to this day I was being picked on by being made to hang out with the family. I didn't really think it would be much different than that, but boy was I surprised. Not the same at all!!!!!

Not only will I be going back down with him for the March 2011 race, I think I will be going to all of them, to every destination he goes to, for the rest of the time he goes, which will be when we are old and gray~ or older and more gray.

There is not another feeling like those trucks racing by at almost 200 miles per hour, inches apart~ they have some awesome driving skills. I swear it feels like they are driving right through you. Unfortunately, since they are going that fast it is all but impossible to get a good picture with my outdated camera, but here is a sample of what I got. The better ones are before the trucks actually started moving, but you get the idea.

I wish I could put a video on here so you could get an idea of how it sounds and feels, but I am afraid it would be breaking some kind of copy write laws.

If you ever get the chance to go, I say DO IT!!!!! There is nothing I can say that will give you the same feeling as the actual experience and it is well worth the time.

Thanks to Smith's for giving us the free tickets and thanks to Jeff for taking me and having the patience to deal with me asking a million questions through the whole thing.

HearthSong Review & Giveaway

2010-09-30T09:17:00.004-07:00

Are you looking for a great place to shop online? A place that you can find something for everyone you are shopping for? Without ever leaving your cooled house to go out in this heatwave? Me too!! The best place I have found is actually like 4 places in one.

Let me introduce you to Plow & Hearth, Wind & Weather, HearthSong and Magic Cabin, the four online stores that have a super sweet Director of Brand Marketing, Lynn, who I have had the pleasure of working with.

Lynn offered to let me choose anything from their online stores and I chose the Rocking Seesaw and I could not have chosen better according to my girls and my grandson.

This Seesaw is perfect!! It has all rounded edges, comfortable seats, foot support bars and the bottom rocker bar is padded so you can use it in the house without harming your flooring.

It came in pieces so I enlisted the help of my husband to put it together. It took about an hour and while that seems like forever for these few pieces, we followed the directions and put it all together loosely at first and then went back through like the directions said and I am glad we did, even given the extra time because it was all a pretty tight fit and because of this my husband says it will stay put together a lot longer and things won't get loose. (I don't know why, but I am guessing he is right because he is good at getting things to stay put when he puts them there). The only bad thing about putting it together, (besides not having tiny hands that fit better in the tight spots), was the directions called for a regular screwdriver and what we really needed was a wrench that fit the nuts for tightening. So after a quick change of tools we were on the way. By the way, even though there was a bazillion nuts and bolts, they were all there which NEVER happens in our house and they even included a hex or alan wrench so I didn't have to hunt one down since that is a tool not everyone has on hand.

We worked on it with the kids hovering around, wanting us to hurry faster, which irritates dad and makes him get frustrated. For that reason I suggest you do it when they are asleep and surprise them because it is all but impossible to keep them out of the way. So after a slight irritation in dad, a broken fingernail and bloody finger from me being stupid and not following directions (there again, another reason to do what the directions say instead of trying to do it your way ;-o~~ they are so much smarter than I gave them credit for)

Then came this, the cheesiest smile I have ever seen on the boy when he finally got to get on.

They all played on this Seesaw for HOURS. I actually had to take it away to get them to stop and go to bed. I have also found I can use it to my advantage as couple times in the last week, to get them to give me a moment of peace, I suggested they get it out and, miracle of miracles, instant time alone for me. Whooo Hooo!!

I think my very favorite thing about this Seesaw over others I have seen is that if my girls are at school or a friends house, the baby can sit in the middle seat of this a play alone. It also doesn't matter that they weigh a bit more than him, it seems to rock just fine and they can all have fun on it at the same time.

I am really serious when I say that these four web stores have got awesome products and I would gladly send anyone I know there to shop. If this Seesaw is a sample of their regular products (and I am sure it is being that I got to choose anything~ not something they had chosen for me) I am confident that they have quality, well made products that you will be proud to own.

Another awesome thing about HearthSong is that they also give away a $200 gift certificate every month and you can go here to enter that contest.

Want to buy this Seesaw? Go here and for $79.99 plus shipping it will be on your doorstep within days. Want to win it? Lynn has generously offered to let one of my readers win this same Seesaw, just follow the directions below and Good Luck!!

Mandatory Entry~~ Go visit HearthSong, come back here and tell me something you would love to have from them. This must be done for other entries to count.

2 entries- Like HearthSong on Facebook.

2 entries- Sign up for the HearthSong newsletter.

1 entry- Grab the Our Crazy Life button.

2 entries- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this free giveaway up to once a day! Please leave a comment for each day that you do.

2 entries- Become a friend on Facebook

1 entry- subscribe to my feeds either Google or email.

3 entries - Blog about this free giveaway and post the link here.

1 entry- Enter my other giveaways and post 1 comment for each one you entered. Make sure to leave separate comments.

2 entries-Submit this giveaway to a giveaway site and let me know which one.

Contest ends October 15, 2010 @ 11:59 pm

Cold Stone + Make A Wish= Free Ice Cream

2010-09-30T08:55:00.005-07:00

Mark your calendar to stop by Coldstone Creamery this Thursday for some free ice cream.

Cold Stone's annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. With any donation amount you'll get a 3 oz cup of Kate's Creation. The free ice cream is a concoction called "Katie's Creation," named after the little girl who dreamed up this flavor. It includes caramel apple ice cream with chocolate shavings, graham cracker pie crust, and apple pie filling. The freebie is part of a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which helps make wishes come true for sick kids. Roughly 85% of all the donations Coldstone receives in September go to the foundation.

Valid only during published date and time. While supplies last. No substitutions. Limit one per customer.

Girl Gotch Review

2010-09-29T18:50:00.003-07:00

You know what I see all the time that drives me bat shit crazy??? Girls pulling their underwear out of their butts. I know that may be a little on the graphic side of putting it, but seriously, it makes me want to tell them how horrible it looks and to go put on something that fits. But since that isn't always the problem I guess that wouldn't be the answer. My girls are not exempt from doing this no matter how often I gripe at them for it. So when I heard about the Girl Gotch underwear for girls I went right over to the Girl Gotch web site and read all about them.

Information from Rebecca at Girl Gotch:

"It all started in the summer of 2008. I was potty-training my daughter and was having a really hard time finding underwear that fit her. She seemed to always be
pulling and adjusting and no matter what, they would “ride-up”. I tried everything, even buying size 5/6 panties for her (even though she was 2).
One afternoon, we were at my sister‘s house. My daughter
and nephew were playing and were so wrapped up in their fun that my daughter had an accident. I didn‘t have a change of clothes, so I borrowed a pair of my nephew‘s gotch. I didn‘t think much of it at the time, but as the day went on I noticed that she wasn‘t complaining about her underwear hurting. I also watched her jump and play around and they stayed in place. The gotch covered her whole bum, which was something her panties never managed to do.
That got me to thinking...why don‘t they make gotch for
girls? And so, Girl Gotch was born and that brings me to today. I have been working with designer
s and manufacturers to get what I believe are the best girl‘s underwear on the market!"

They come in super cute bight colors or white/light for use with white pants. I was going to take pictures of my girls in them because they really do fit cute, but I am afraid of the internet pervs finding them on here so I will post some pictures from their site.

Brief – inspired by the original ”tighty whitey“, we have taken the style and made it to be all girl. They feature a one inch covered elastic waistband and material binding around the legs.

Boxer – These are great to wear under skirts or for sports.

Now while these are a little more pricey than what I usually buy~~ $15.99 for a box of 3 pair~~ they are totally worth it. My 5 year old has even asked to wear these because they are comfortable and that makes all the difference. Check them out, buy a box and you will be hooked too!

Crazy Dog T-shirt Winner

2010-09-29T18:31:00.004-07:00

I used Random.org to choose the winner and wouldn't you know it, the first number it picked was the comment I left in response to someone else.

So random pick # 2 was # 31 Yono.

I know these pictures are a little blurry. I am in desperate need of a new camera and I cannot figure out how to copy and paste from the internet page. (If anyone from Nikon or Canon is reading I would be more than happy to review one for you!!)

An email has been sent and if there is no response in 72 hours I will choose another person.

Charm Factory Bracelet Review & Giveaway

2010-09-21T09:41:00.007-07:00

Unique, High Quality, Sterling Silver Charms, Charm Bracelets & More!

I love jewelry. Plain. And. Simple. Everyone who knows me knows that if you want to get me a gift, just hit the local jewelry store and I will be a happy camper. I have a jewelry box almost as big as my husbands gun safe and it is pretty much full. So when Angie from the Charm Factory offered me one of their finished charm bracelets for a review I was giddy (do people use that word anymore?) with excitement.

I chose the awareness bracelet because being a cancer survivor I always choose the awareness items when I have the chance.

It came in just a couple days and I must say, I was not disappointed at all!! It is BEAUTIFUL.

The little charms on it are just the right size and yet the detail on them is great and you can easily read what they say.

I know my bracelet is considered finished and it is wonderful the way it is, but it has plenty of room to add things and Charm Factory also carries a ton of single charms that you can buy to add to this bracelet if you happen to want more on it. I know everyone has different taste and some might think it is too much to add more, but I am absolutely buying these to add:

I am also thinking about this one to be like a "free floater" around the bracelet:

Now another thing I have problems with in most bracelets I have is that my arm is just too chubby to get them to fit well and I have to buy extenders, but this one fits perfectly, yet it also fits my daughter's arm and she is quite thin because it also has places to fasten it for smaller rms.

Charm Factory carries all kinds of sterling silver chains or bracelets, and then you can add as many .925 sterling silver beads, charms, wood charms, pewter charms, etc to add. They feature almost 5000 high quality, unique kinds Each one comes with a free jump ring to attach it to your chain or bracelet. They are super easy to personalize

Check out the lockets,

the beads

the pendants,

birthstone charms, photo charms, chains by the foot, alphabet beads, baby charms and much much more. It is also all lead, nickel and cadium free. Charm Factory products are made in the United States.

Charm Factory carries the most beautiful jewelry and I promise that you will not be disappointed at all getting something from them. I will always be proud to wear my bracelet~ it doesn't look cheap, it doesn't look gaudy~ in fact it looks just perfect for dress up or every day!!

Angie has generously offered one of my readers their choice of a finished Charm bracelet like one of these:

All you have to do is follow the entry rules below and you could own one of these beautiful pieces of jewelry.

First off, and mandatory, go visit Charm Factory then come back here and tell me one thing that you would love to own.

You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1 entry~ Follow me via Google Friend, Reader.

1 entry~ Grab my button and tell me where you have it.

1 entry~ Subscribe via Google email.

2 entries~ Follow Charm Factory on Facebook.

2 entries~ Follow me on Twitter

2 entries~ Follow Charm Factory on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can do this once a day, leave a separate comment for each day you do.

1 entry~ Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post and let me know which one

2 entries~ Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.

Contest ends October 15, 2010 at 11:59 pm. I will draw a winner using Random.org. Please leave your email address if it is not easily visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

Wee Squeak Winner

2010-09-19T16:21:00.003-07:00

Congratulations Mama3. I have sent an email and you have 72 hours to reply or I will choose another winner.

Crazy Dog T-Shirt Review & Giveaway

2010-09-12T09:43:00.001-07:00

Like this shirt?? It is my husbands new party shirt and trust me it fits him so well. I chose it when Amy from Crazy Dog T-Shirts offered to let me do a review on their T-Shirts.
The most important thing I can say about Crazy Dog T-Shirts is that they are great quality shirts not thin crappy swap meet type shirts. The cotton is soft and quite thick and the prices are very fair. Crazy Dog T-Shirts carries a huge variety of styles. From Funny & Novelty shirts to Vintage and Custom styles. They also have a large selection of TV, Movie and Holiday shirts.
Check out a few of my favorites:

Cute huh?!?!? Another great thing is that they carry some awesome Halloween costumes.
From Sexy~~~~~~~

to Couples costumes~~~~~

and of course the hit of the year in my grandson's eyes- Woody & Buzz Lightyear!!

Another thing that I thought was so cute is that they also carry doggy shirts
and costumes for your dog.

Crazy Dog T-Shirts has generously offered one of my readers their choice of either a "Mystery Tee" or a $15 gift card code via email to choose your favorite.
Mandatory for entry is to go to Crazy Dog T-Shirts and then come back here and tell me what you might choose or your favorite costume.
For extra entries you can do any of the following, leaving a separate comment for each one you do.
1 entry for grabbing my button and letting me know where you have it.
1 entry for following me.
1 entry for leaving a comment on another post and telling me which one
2 entries for becoming a fan of Crazy Dog T-Shirts on Facebook

Contest ends 9/26/10 @ 11:59pm and the winner will be chosen at random.

Contest Closed

My Husband the Garbologist

2010-09-11T13:03:00.001-07:00

Photo borrowed from Mayor John Curtis' blog page.

My husband graduated from college-- 3 times. He has a Building Construction degree, a Journeyman Plumbing degree, a Fire Fighting degree and he has worked at all of these jobs at different times in his life.

Construction work, especially concrete got hard on his body and he decided plumbing would be a good career that would keep him in the business of building houses, which he loved, so he enrolled in school again.
After several years of living by the motto "crap runs down hill, don't chew your nails and payday is Friday", he opened his own plumbing business just before the economy went into the crapper and we had 10's of thousands of dollars that people owe and he can't get them to pay so that didn't last long. He has too kind of a heart and when people give him a sob story he feels to bad to take them to court or send them to collections so he decided he wanted to be a Fire Fighter.
He said he had thought about it for years so once again he enrolled in school. He would still run into a burning building as everyone else is in a panic and running out any day, but our city fire fighters run in the deadly Spanish Fork Canyon and the nightmares of dead or dying people were already getting to him when he spent a Fathers Day morning holding a little girl that had been thrown from a car and had a bone sticking out of her leg, body covered in road rash and crying her eyes out while they waited for yet another ambulance to make it up to them.

He decided his sanity was not going to hold out for many more days like that so he decided he had to stop that too. He likes driving and has a perfect driving record so he decided truck driving sounded like a good~ safely boring job for a while. So my husband with 3 college degrees and a great work ethic and reputation decided to drive a garbage truck.

I wasn't sure at first, seemed like it would be a little too boring for him, but he loves it and it shows. People on his route routinely comment about him and how good he is to them. He has even been known to help the elderly people on his route by getting out of his truck and getting their garbage can out to the curb, get back in the truck, empty it and then take it back and put it away for them.

He doesn't make the "big bucks" anymore, but his happiness shows and it makes it all worth it.

A couple weeks ago the Mayor of the city he works in did a ride along with him and gave him all kinds of compliments. I know some people would rather work for the place where they make the most money and I won't lie, the money was nice. But seeing the smile on his face while he talks about his day is so much better than having a grumpy old man coming home every night.

Here is the write up that the Mayor put on his blog. I just wanted to share with all of you, and yea, maybe brag him up a little bit because he really does have a hard job and he loves every minute of it.

http://provomayor.blogspot.com/search/label/Thank%20You

Amber's First Day of School 2010

2010-09-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hours spent shopping for just the right outfits: 15.75

Cost of making sure my 7 year old has all the perfect things she wants to wear for 2nd grade: $324.87

Getting to see this pretty smile the first morning of school: Priceless

Libby's First Day at School

2010-09-10T17:48:00.001-07:00

First day of Kindergarten 2010.
See this huge bunch of clothes???

Yea, these too......

This is what it takes to get a 5 year old ready for her first day of school. She tried it all on at the store, she tried it all on when we got home to do a fashion show for her dad and sisters...

And she tried it all on at least a dozen times before the first day of school and this is what she came up with to wear on her first day.

Isn't she just the sweetest 5 year old on the planet??? I think so!! She was so excited to start school I could not have gotten that smile off her face with a blow torch and a electric sander.
I love this girl!!!!

Swimming 2010

2010-08-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

We took the kids swimming last week. They had such a great time. Zeke splashed and played around, even after his head went under the water. He just popped up and smiled like somebody had given him a present.

Amber is getting really good at swimming. Having the pool in the backyard is helping a lot, but having all this fun stuff to play on and the slides totally made her day.

Libby is getting pretty good at putting her face in the water too. It is hard to believe that only 1 year ago she was terrified to get anything above her waist wet.

Getting Jacki to get in a swimsuit wasn't as easy because she thinks being pregnant means she is fat, but she had so much fun with the kids that she took them back today. To bad summer is over, but we will be doing a lot more swimming next year.

Good bye summer~~ we have enjoyed the heck out of you. Don't take so long to come back this time would ya?!?!?
>

Wee Squeak Shoe Review & Giveaway

2010-08-24T17:26:00.011-07:00

I did a review a while ago for Beibi Shoes. I got a pair for Zeke and they are so cute and we absolutely loved them. So when Cara contacted me and asked if I would like to do one for Wee Squeak, their partner company, I jumped at the chance. We looked and looked through the options and Libby FINALLY picked a pair. Now anyone who knows Libby would know what a chore this was. For those of you that don't personally know us let me tell you, this child is the shoe queen. All of my kids have wanted treats at the store every time we ever went, but not Lib, she always wants a pair of shoes. Flip Flops, sandals, tennis shoes, dress shoes, play shoes~ she doesn't care as long as she gets a pair every time she goes to a store. The child has more shoes than all the rest of us put together. So anyway, these are the ones she chose.

They look so dang cute on her, She wasn't too thrilled with the squeakers because her big sisters teased her, but they are so easy to take out that about 10 seconds later she was smiling again and showing them off. Now personally I like the squeakers especially on little kids because they can't get to far from you without you knowing exactly where they are at and I think that is a great idea!

Wee Squeak Says:
"Children's Shoes - footwear that's fun to wear! Comfortable and stylish, these little shoes are great for any season. With a variety of styles and colors to choose from, these children's shoes are a great gift idea as well as a way to help children learn to walk properly without even realizing they're being taught. Children's tennies and sandals in several different colors and styles, as well as traditional Mary Janes and other kids footwear. As parents of infants and toddlers, our inspiration for WeeSqueak shoes was watching our children in these shoes. We discovered these little gems while in China adopting our oldest daughter, Chloe. However, during the adopting of our youngest daughter, Ellie, we had the idea to bring some shoes back for our friend's children. Our company, WeeSqueak, was born! We are fun parents, with fun shoes for fun kids! Wee Squeak donates 5% of our profits (up to $1,000 contribution per charity per year) to Half the Sky."

Check out some of the great styles they have:

And this is just a small selection, what they have to choose from is huge!! You really need to go check out the Wee Squeak and Beibi sites. There are so many more to see and I don't see how anyone would not be able to find a pair they love. Another thing I really like is the little extras like the heart shapes buckles and all the sweet little die cut and sewn on flowers and butterflies. I haven't seen anything this well made or even close to anything like that on any other brand that I have looked at and believe me with all the school shopping we have been doing I have seen a lot of them. It is just those little things that make these shoes stand out above the rest. They are well made, very stylish and you're sure to find at least a few you simply must have. They have a wide variety of colors and styles of baby and toddler shoes to choose from. Classic maryjanes for babies, stylish dress shoes, fun tennies and so much more!

Now for the best part of this review, as far as I am concerned, Wee Squeak has generously offered to give one of my readers a pair of shoes of their choice. All you need to do is follow the entry rules and you could be the winner chosen by a random draw. First and absolutely mandatory is going to the Wee Squeak site and find the pair of shoes you just can't live without then come back here and leave a comment.
As always you can get extra entries by doing the following:
1 entry for following Wee Squeak on Facebook
1 entry for following me either by email or the feed
1 entry for grabbing my button for your side bar and leaving me information about where it is displayed
2 entries for blogging about this giveaway and linking back to the post

When entering a giveaway, you MUST complete the mandatory entry requirements FIRST before completing your optional entries. You MUST also leave me a valid way to contact you, should you win. If you do not successfully complete the mandatory entry or leave a valid email address, then you will be disqualified from the contest.

The giveaway will end at 11:59pm on September 15, 2010. One lucky winner will be randomly selected using True Random Number Generator. I will email the winner and they will then have 48 hours to respond to the notification email, or a new winner will be chosen. Open to all U.S. readers. Good luck!

Giveaway entry is closed.

Fireworks and Parade July 4 2010

2010-07-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Picture post of our fun on the 4th

Wish you were all here.

How To Handle A Husband

2010-07-12T09:31:00.003-07:00

A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on the beaches in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town. People would say, "What a peaceful & loving couple."

The local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage. The Husband replied: 'Well, it dates back to our honeymoon in America" explained the man. "We visited the Grand Canyon, in Arizona, and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon, by horse. We hadn't gone too far when my wife's horse stumbled and she almost fell off. My wife looked down at the horse and quietly said, 'That's once.' We proceeded a little further and her horse stumbled again. Again my wife quietly said, 'That's twice.'

We hadn't gone a half-mile when the horse stumbled for the third time and my wife quietly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the horse dead. I SHOUTED at her, 'What's wrong with you, Woman! Why did you shoot the poor animal like that, are you fucking crazy!?'

She looked at ME, and quietly said, 'That's once.' And from that moment..... we have lived happily ever after."

Now that is the way to handle a husband!!!

Libby's Graduation

2010-06-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Libby is finally getting her wish and gets to go to Kindergarten next year. She was so happy to graduate from Preschool.

First we played outside and she rode that funny little trike around giving all her friends rides.

Then they sang and gave the parents a little program- so cute and they did it in two languages (Better than I could do!)

Then presentation of the awards and pictures with the teachers.

She loves these ladies so much!!

Then we ended with pictures of all her little friends. It was so cute, she ran around to al the little groups and drug them over one at a time so she would have a picture of each one!!

Then it was time to go home and after 2+ years of crying and whining and begging to go to 'real' school, before we even made it half way home, she started complaining that she hates school and doesn't ever want to go back. I think her face says something completely different, don't you?

Amber is Rockin' Softball

2010-06-23T08:58:00.003-07:00

See that shy girl hiding behind her mitt?? Yeah, that's the one. The one who wanted to play softball so bad, but was so scared that she might play bad that she actually put it off a whole year.

Well guess what??? She totally rocks the game!!

She can hit like no other- 2 home runs in the first 4 games!!

She can outrun the ball to the base every time!!

She got a ton of outs playing second base.

She is awesome at shortstop!

She hits!!!

She runs!!

She Scores!!!!!
Way to go sweetie, we are so proud of you!!!

15 Year Old Mothers and Your Advise

2010-06-08T06:10:00.001-07:00

I know at times I was awful to my mother. She used to tell me about it all the time when she was helping me pack for a guilt trip. I even got the everlasting, dreaded mother curse. You know the one: "You just wait until you have kids.” My response? "I'm never having kids.”

And I seriously didn't want any at that time. I had way to many brothers and sisters that I helped take care of and there was nothing I wanted less than my own kids. At that point in time I would have rather got on one of the bulls my crazy ass brothers rode than to even consider having a baby. Actually I did do that once, but that is another story.

But I digress.

I wanted to travel, have fun, go to school, be a millionaire and make that money doing something I loved. It was not to be. I was 15 working fast food, going to high school and trying my best not to cause too much damage to the fragile little mind of a newborn and then very active toddler.

"I'm NEVER having kids!!" Boy, did I eat those words the day I walked out of the hospital, a 15 year old mother and not a clue as to what the hell I was going to do. I couldn't get a drivers license, I couldn't vote, drink a beer legally or own a gun. I was not old enough to rent an apartment to live in or work without parental permission. But I was 100% responsible for another little life and apparently they don't ID you at the hospital to see if you are "of age" to be leaving with that little bundle of squirming, pooping and crying sweetness. What the fu#k had I done???

I never did really have "the talk" with my mom. I'm not blaming her and I think she probably felt that all my sisters would fill me in. That and I really didn't get interested in boys as early as a lot of my friends so maybe she thought I was safe. Who knows. The one thing I do know is that as soon as my girls could understand it all we started having the talks. I say talks because it was a constant thing not just a one timer. I wanted them to be sure they knew what would happen if they were fooling around instead of learning it from their friends or whoever else it may come from. I wanted my daughters to be strong and sure of themselves and their sexuality. I wanted them to know what would happen after some stupid boy told them he loved them and got into their pants before they were really ready.

I was criticized several times for being open and honest with them, but I didn't care for the alternative so I took the criticism and shook it off. It's not like I was showing them porn or given them condoms at age 10, I just wanted them to know the consequences at age 10 so at age 16 when they thought they were ready they would think again.
Something must have worked because they both finished school, got married and had good jobs before they started having babies. They were not labeled as the school sluts or easy girls because they were strong enough to say no and mean it. It did not restrict their dating in any way because they had a ton of dates and friends in high school. They didn't fall for the first guy to tell them he loved them and that they would "do it" if they loved him back. No, they laughed in the faces of those boys and you know what? They were respected and had so many friends that were boys as well as girls. They were not in any way prude, they just knew what they wanted in life and a quick roll in the hay wasn't worth what the consequences could be. Know what else? More than once when they were hanging out at our house I heard one boy or another say it was cool to be just friends with a girl with no expectations of it going further. I am not in any way saying they were perfect. My head is not in the sand and I know they experimented some, but they were smart, are smart, and know how to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.

There are so many young mothers in the news who have hurt or killed their child or let their boyfriend or baby daddy hurt them and stand by doing nothing as to not make them mad and possibly have them leave her. Seriously?? What man (or boy) is worth having if he is harming your child? I guess I am generalizing too much because I know a lot of young mothers are very good mothers and I like to think I was, but the statistics don't lie and you can pick up any paper in any city on any day and find something about a child being hurt or killed.
I can understand frustration at a crying newborn, I cannot understand hurting one. And most of all, I don't want my little girls to ever be put in the situation that they may be too young to rationally deal with a crying baby.

So now I am at that same cross road with my two little girls. They are 5 and 7 or if you ask them "almost 6 and 7 1/2". When we adopted them they already knew more about life than two little girls should ever know and sometimes we have anger issues with the older one. I can totally see her acting out when she is a little older and rebelling against anything we say so do I educate her now preparing for that or just hope it doesn't happen that way? There is so much more sex on TV than there used to be and I wonder if I should talk about things now with them. It seems to be glamorized when a teenager has a baby on some of the stupid little shows they watch. I don't want to intrude on their innocence, but I don't want either of them to be a 15 year old mother. So what do you think internet? Are they too young? Should I let it go a few more years? Should I start now and just not be real specific? I want them to be little girls as long as they can and not grow up too fast, but I want them to be safe and prepared for life in this crazy world. So what is your opinion??? I need your advise.

The Irony

2010-06-03T12:33:00.006-07:00

see more Friends of Irony

Goodness we have a lot to look forward to don't we?!?!?

LOLCATS

2010-05-27T13:43:00.002-07:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Motherhood vs Prison

2010-05-10T12:04:00.003-07:00

This came from Amy Oops except the part I added at the end so go on over and get a good laugh from her today!!

In prison, you get three square meals a day.
At home, you cook three square meals a day and try to get your kids to eat it. You eat their leftovers.

In prison, you get an hour each day in the yard to exercise and mingle.
At home you get to clean the yard up so you can mow it so your kids can spread more toys all over it so that you can go out and clean it again because little Jr. can't sleep without his latest lego creation.

In prison, you get to watch TV, cable even.
At home, you get to listen to your children fight over the remote control and get treated to hours and hours of mindless cartoons thanks to cable.

In prison, you can read whatever you want and attend college for free.
At home, you get to read weekly readers starring Dick, Jane, and Spot and worry about how to send Jr. to college and still be able to eat for the next twenty years.

In prison, all your medical care is free.
At home, you have to pawn your mother's silver and fill out trillions of papers for insurance and hope the doctor will see you before you die.

In prison, if you have visitors, all you do is go to a room, sit, talk and then say good-bye when you are ready or your time is up.
At home, you get to clean for days in advance and then cook and clean up after your guests and hope that they will one day leave.

In prison, you can spend your free time writing letters or just hang out in your own space all day.
At home, you get to clean your space and everyone else's space, too, and what the heck is free time again?

In prison, you get your own personal toilet.
At home, you have to physically hold the bathroom door shut in order to keep from having someone standing over you demanding to know how long till you're done so you can do something for them.

In prison, the prison laundry takes care of all your dirty clothes.
At home, you get to take care of them yourself, plus everybody else's, and get yelled at because somebody's favorite shirt isn't clean.

In prison, they take you everywhere you need to go.
At home, you take everybody else where they need to go.

In prison, the guards transport all your personal effects for you and make sure nothing is missing.
At home, you have to lug around everybody else's stuff in your purse and then wonder who went in it and took your last dollar.

In prison, there are no screaming or whining children or spouses asking you to do something else for them, or screaming at you because you didn't. Doesn’t that make you want to go out and do something illegal

BUT... at home you get grubby little fingers that love to hold your hand, chubby little arms that give you the best hugs, little faces that can smile and light up your life and sticky little faces that give the sweetest kisses. All in all I think I would always choose home no matter how good it would feel to have the vacation of prison for a couple days!!

To Mom In Heaven

2010-05-06T19:23:00.002-07:00

IF ROSES GROW IN HEAVEN,LORD PLEASE PICK A BUNCH FOR ME, PLACE THEM IN MY MOTHER'S ARMS AND TELL HER THEY'RE FROM ME.
TELL HER I LOVE HER AND MISS HER,AND WHEN SHE TURNS TO SMILE, PLACE A KISS UPON HER CHEEK AND HOLD HER FOR AWHILE.
BECAUSE REMEMBERING HER IS EASY,I DO IT EVERY DAY BUT THERE'S AN ACHE WITHIN MY HEART THAT WILL NEVER GO A WAY.
I MISS AND LOVE YOU, MOM XXX...HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO YOU IN HEAVEN

One Year

2010-05-04T21:23:00.004-07:00

Today it has been one year since my mom died. The year has been long without her. The year has also flown by and it doesn't seem like she has been gone that long. I still find myself thinking of things that are funny or interesting and thinking to myself "I will have to tell mom about that when I get home". It hurts when I remember she wont be here to tell. I miss her. I miss my daddy. I miss my grandbabies. I know they are all together and as much as I miss them and want to be with them, I don't think I am ready to go yet. It has been one hell of a year and one I wouldn't want to do again for anything. This past year has really sucked!! Here's to hoping the next year will have some better times and memories that come with it.

The Stuttering Cat

2010-05-04T14:17:00.001-07:00

Got this in my email today and just had to share.

A teacher is explaining biology to her 4th grade students. "Human beings
are the only animals that stutter," she said.
A little girl raises her hand. "I had a kitty-cat who stuttered."
The teacher, knowing how precious some of these stories could become,
asked the girl to describe the incident.
"Well," she began, "I was in the back yard with my kitty and the
Rottweiler that lives next door got a running start and before we knew
it, he jumped over the fence into our yard!"
"That must've been scary," said the teacher.
"It sure was," said the little girl. "My kitty raised her back, went
"Ffffff!, Ffffff!, FfffffF, but before she could say "Fuck!," the
Rottweiler ate her!
The teacher had to leave the room.

The Great Food Debate

2010-04-19T12:46:00.003-07:00

Since I quit cooking about 5 years ago I have left the whats and wheres of all that happens in the kitchen to my husband. He likes to cook and since he likes it, so be it, he now owns the kitchen and all that happens there.
With one exception- I refuse to eat any "weird" meat. By weird meat I mean if it doesn't come wrapped in plastic, full of preservatives I want nothing to do with it.
We live in a part of the country where the deer hunt may as well be a holiday because nobody will be in school because they are all with their parents on "the hunt". There is also an unbelievable number of people who also hunt elk, duck, geese, wild turkey, bear, moose, dove, well you get the picture, if it runs it shall be hunted. All of these things I consider weird meat.
He has tried, a time or well say 200, to trick me into eating these nasty things. He says if I don't know what it is I would never be able to tell it isn't from the store. Guess what? He is wrong. I swear it smells and looks different and he can talk until he is blue in the face but he wont get me to change my mind.
He also has a friend that has decided to use turkey burger in everything and has convinced He-Man to use it too. I have boycotted that issue every time it is brought up. Even though turkey comes from the store it is still weird when it doesn't come out of the oven all golden brown and ready to be carved up.
So this past week he thought he could trick me and he bought turkey burger to make spaghetti sauce with. He went to the store by himself (another thing I despise)got all of his sneaky ingredients and came home to make dinner.
I could smell it cooking and of course it didn't smell right. He swore up and down I was crazy and he was cooking hamburger. He brought me a plate of food (I know sweet huh?!?)and again swore that he didn't know why it looked different to me because IT. WAS. HAMBURGER. (I beg to differ)
So he went up and got his plate and came down in the family room with me. I was picking through the food and taking out the spaghetti noodles only. He made some huffing and puffing noise to show he was displeased with my pickiness and began to eat. About a minute later I noticed he wasn't eating and I looked at him with what I assume was a question on my face because before I had a chance to say anything he blurted out that turkey burger does taste different and it was gross. You should all be proud, I didn't even say I told you so. Wanted to, but didn't.
What do you think, does store meat and game meat taste different??

My Dogs

2010-04-14T10:55:00.002-07:00

This morning I went to sign my dogs up for welfare. At first the lady said, "Dogs are not eligible to draw welfare". So I explained to her that my Dogs are mixed in color, unemployed, lazy, can't speak English and have no frigging clue who their Daddies are. They expect me to feed them, provide them with housing and medical care, and feel guilty because they are dogs.

So she looked in her policy book to see what it takes to qualify. My Dogs get their first checks Friday.

Damn, this is a great country.

Borrowed from the site: http://www.amyoops.com Go check her out she is hillarious!!

For Those Over 30

2010-04-05T07:52:00.003-07:00

Got this in an email this morning and by God it is all the truth-- Who writes this stuff and how do they know me so well???

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH ways¦ yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!
And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car.. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it! There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOD !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are. And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?! There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-finks!

And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that! And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!
And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were luckily, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!
See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or any time before!

Louise or Lewis?

2010-04-04T19:17:00.003-07:00

So my big kids all graduated high school. With good grades. They are all pretty smart, or so I have always thought.
We were watching The Blind Side today and it came to the part where Michael's teacher says something about Lewis & Clark.
My daughter said "I thought it was Louise."
I told it that no it was Lewis and she asked, "Well which one was the girl then?"
I said that there wasn't a girl except Sacajawea.
She sat there for a minute and then said, "I know it is Louise & Clark- Clark Kent right?"
So my high school graduate doesn't know the difference between Superman's girlfriend and the man who discovered the great west. Guess I would rather live in Metropolis some days too!!

Why We Love Children

2010-03-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

I know this is old. I got it off an ancient email, but it made me giggle so I want to pass it on. Hope everyone is having a good day!!

One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class. She came to the part where Chicken Little warns the farmer. She read ..."and Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said 'The sky is falling." The teacher then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?" One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: 'Holy Shit!! A talking chicken!" The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.

A little girl goes to the barber shop with her father. She stands next to the barber chair while her dad gets his hair cut eating a snack cake. The barber says to her "Sweetheart you're gonna get hair on your Twinkie." She says, "Yes I know and I'm gonna get boobs too!"

And last but not least...

When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room as I was preparing to get into the shower. She said, "Mommy you are getting fat." I replied, "Yes honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy." "I know", she replied, "but what's growing in your butt?"

Gotta love kids!!

~To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets~

2010-03-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

1. They live here. You don't.

2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)

3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is
short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

Remember: Dogs are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Usually come when called
5. Never drive your car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't worry about having to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't wear your clothes
10. Don't need a gazillion dollars for college, and
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.

I have no clue where this originated, nor do I want to put the whole thing on here, but it is great and if you know who wrote it please let me know- I would like to start reading them!!

I'm A Bad American.

2010-03-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

I think I was told once that Rush Limbaugh said this. I don' tknow, but if he did I like him.
This pretty much sums it up for me.
I like big trucks, big boats, big houses, and naturally, pretty women.
I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some midlevel governmental functionary with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies.
I don't care about appearing compassionate (if I don't actually feel it).
I think playing with toy guns doesn't make you a killer - I believe ignoring your kids and giving them Prozac might.
I think I'm doing better than the homeless.
I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized.
I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird or make me mad. This is my life to live, and not necessarily up to others expectations.
I know what SEX is and there are not varying degrees of it.
I don't celebrate Kwanzaa. But if you want to that's fine; just don't feel like everyone else should have to.
I believe that if you are selling me a Dairy Queen shake, a pack of cigarettes, or hotel room you do it in English. As of matter of fact, if you are an American citizen you should speak English. My uncles and forefathers shouldn't have had to die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come disrespect ours, and make us bend to your will. Get over it.
I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry butt if you're running from them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word 'freeze' or 'stop' in English, see the previous line.
I don't use the excuse "it's for the children" as a shield for unpopular opinions or actions.
I know how to count votes and I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliation do a recount when needed.
I know what the definition of lying is, and it isn't based on the word -- ever.
I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you qualify for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans, etc., so you can open a hotel, 7-Eleven, trinket shop, or anything else, while the indigenous peoples can't get past a high school education because they can't afford it.
I didn't take the initiative in inventing the Internet.
I thought the Taco Bell dog was funny.
I want them to bring back safe and sane fireworks.
I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T or Marilyn Manson sang, but that doesn't mean I want to listen to that crap from someone else's car when I'm stopped at a red light. But I respect your right to.
I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster or Jack In The Box.
I don't want to eat or drink anything with the words light, lite or fat-free on the package.
Our soldiers did not go to some foreign country and risk their lives in vain and defend our Constitution so that decades later you can tell me it's a living document ever changing and is open to interpretation. The guys who wrote it were light years ahead of anyone today, and they meant what they said; now leave the document alone, or there's going to be trouble.
I don't hate the rich.
I help the poor.
I know wrestling is fake.
I've never owned, or was a slave, and a large percentage of our forefathers weren't wealthy enough to own one either. Please stop blaming me because some prior white people were idiots. And remember, tons of white, Indian, Chinese, and other races have been enslaved too; it was wrong for every one of them.
I believe a self-righteous liberal with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude.
I want to know exactly which church is it where the "Reverend" Jessie Jackson preaches; and, what exactly is his job function.
I own a gun, you can own a gun, and any red blooded American should be allowed to own a gun, but if you use it in a crime, then you will serve the time.
I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it makes you mad, then invent the next operating system that's better and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy that invented the Internet to help you.
I don't believe in hate crime legislation. Even suggesting it makes me mad. You're telling me that someone who is a minority, gay, disabled, another nationality, or otherwise different from the mainstream of this country has more value as a human being that I do as a white male? If someone kills anyone, I'd say that it's a hate crime.
We don't need more laws! Let's enforce the ones we already have.
I think turkey bacon, turkey beef, turkey fake anything sucks.
I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child; it takes a parent with the guts to stand up to the kid and spank his butt and say "NO!" when it's necessary to do so.
I'll admit that the only movie that ever made me cry was Ole Yeller.
I didn't realize Dr. Seuss was a genius until I had a kid.
I will not be frowned upon or be looked down upon or be made to keep silent because I have these beliefs and opinions. I thought this country allowed me that right. I will not conform or compromise just to keep from hurting somebody's feelings. I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media would like the world to believe otherwise.
Yes, I guess by some people's definition, I may be a bad American.
But that's tough.

Cowboy Rules

2010-03-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Don't know where this came from, but it is so very true!!

Rules of Colorado , Wyoming , Montana , Utah , Idaho , and the rest of the Wild West are as follows:

1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight: it's called a 'gravel road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.

4. They are cattle. That's why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-80 & I-90 go east and west, I-25 & I-15 goes north and south. Pick one and go.

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have$250,000 Combines that are driven only 3 weeks a year.

6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.

7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outta your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.

10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age.

11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey.

12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah . . We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat . . IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!!

13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

14. College and High School Football is as important here as the Giants, the Yankees, the Mets, the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.

15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.

16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers! Refer back to #1!

Advice To Be Passed On To Your Daughter

2010-03-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

Don't imagine you can change a man - unless he's in diapers.

What do you do if your boyfriend walks-out? You shut the door.

If they put a man on the moon - they should be able to put them all up there.

Never let your man's mind wander - it's too little to be out alone.

Go for younger men. You might as well - they never mature anyway.

Men are all the same - they just have different faces, so that you can tell them apart.

Help I've Fallen.......

2010-02-24T11:29:00.001-07:00

I realized that most of my latest posts have been quite depressing so I thought I would tell you all in bloggy land some of the funniest stories from my life. Some about me and my family (sorry, none of you are safe), some about coworkers and some about complete strangers.

First off picture a little lady that is built something like this:

Or this:

By "little" lady I mean her vertical size which was about all of 4 feet 5 inches, if that. Probably around at least twice as round as she was tall. Not that it is bad in any way, I just want you to get a feel for her size.

Then picture her driving a car that looks like this:

Got it??? OK here we go.
Several years ago I got to work one morning and checked in with the switchboard. The lady working at the switchboard asked me to cover it for a minute so she could run out to her car and grab something. I waited about 10 minutes and then started getting worried because I was new and needed to get to my assigned unit. The last thing I wanted was to be labeled as the one who is late. I hung around a few more minutes and still she didn't come back. I hadn't worked here long and didn't know many people so I had no clue who to call so I sat there a while longer and fortunately a security officer came in. I told him what had happened and he told me to sit tight and he would go find her so I could get to work. About 5 minutes later he came back in laughing so hard he couldn't talk. A few seconds later she came in also, looking winded, hair all mussed up and red faced. She cut me off short when I asked if she was OK so I just left and got over to my unit.
Later in the day the security officer came over to talk to me and tell me what had happened now that he could talk and breathe again.
Apparently she had leaned over to get something out of her trunk, standing on her tip toes and fell in! With her size, the lack of length in her legs and the issue of the car being parked on a slight down hill slant, she not only fell in the trunk, she was stuck and couldn't get out.
He said all he could see is the open trunk and two short little chubby legs kicking in the air and her yelling for help. She swore him to secrecy, but it was too good not to share.
What I wouldn't give to have been able to see that for myself, but I guess it would have been asking too much to have him leave her there so I could get a look huh?!?

Mrs Hughes

2010-01-21T11:51:00.001-07:00

This lady is hillarious!!

Big Bandaids & Mother of the Year??

2010-01-10T20:27:00.006-07:00

**NOTICE- MAY CONTAIN TOO MUCH INFORMATION**
If you continue reading it is at your own risk! Not bad, but you have been warned.

The day before New Years Eve I got really sick and ended up in the hospital, septic, in renal failure and feeling stick a red hot poker in my eye fantastic. I had surgery on New Years to unblock the tube that was clogged up with kidney stones, clear the infection from my blood & brain and had a nice peaceful ICU stay to help me feel better. Now I told you all of this so MAYBE you could find a way to excuse me for what I did, my daughter hasn't.

Now the day before I started feeling crappy I was a little out of it. I had some scheduled time off from work so I was able to rest, but I went to the store for milk for breakfast and a couple quick errands before the girls got up for the day. One of those errands was to get some feminine supplies (I told you TMI). I never got things put away because after I came home I had started to feel very dizzy and was losing my hearing, going all bat shit crazy, according to my kids, so I just went in to lay down.
The maid (that is a whole other post) got the girls up and ready for their day so I just went to sleep thinking I would wake up in a few hours and feel better.
I guess during those few hours that I was in some outer world, my 7 year old cut her hand and apparently asked for a band aid. Now remember, I couldn't really hear well because the infection in my brain had started affecting my hearing, but I slightly remember her complaining that the band aids were too big and I also VERY slightly remember telling her to just use it and go get on the bus for school.

Thank God I was delusional and there was no school and it is only all the neighbors who now know I am a freak. (Didn't think I would ever say that in my lifetime!!)

Fast forward a couple days, after I got home, I went to use some of the supplies I had previously purchased and could not find them ANYWHERE! I swear I all but tore my bathroom and storage room up looking for them so I didn't have to haul my bruised and battered body with it's uncombed hair to a store. I asked everyone and nobody confessed to putting them anywhere so I started thinking that maybe I had imagined it all~ I did have a lot of delusions that everyone has told me about, so I could have gone or I could have not, at that point I didn't really know.

But NO!!! I am not lucky enough to have just been delusional.

Later that night when I got into the cupboard in the kitchen where we keep Tylenol and stuff like that- there they were.

Opened and one missing.

It took me a little while to put it all together, but when I did I don't know if I felt more stupid or if I had made Amber feel worse. I'm sure you can all figure out what I did by now, but if not picture this. I sent my 7 year old out to play with all the neighbor kids with a panty liner on her hand as a band aid.

Anyone want to vote for me for Mother of the Year???

Winners!

2010-01-10T20:02:00.002-07:00

Congratulations Julie, Jen, mami2jcn, and Jackichan- Random has chosen you as the winner in one of my blog drawings. Emails have been sent and if someone doesn't reply I will draw again.

I'm Back!!!

2010-01-05T20:05:00.001-07:00

Well I guess Heaven and Hell are still arguing about who has to have me so for now I am back home from the hospital while they finish discussions. I PROMISE I will post winners tomorrow!! Thanks for having patience with me.

Happy 101

2009-12-23T09:48:00.006-07:00

Tara from If Mom Says OK, had this great meme on her blog and after seeing it on several other blogs, I totally stole it to see if it could help me out of this winter funk I have been in. Don't know if it will be a long term thing, but it did make me smile a bit while I was doing it.
This is my short list of what makes me happy.

I LOVE…

~ my family, friends and furbabies, and the fun we can have doing anything or nothing at all.
~ my laptop and all my cyber friends and family who live inside it. You all help me stay grounded or at least make the journey into madness an enjoyable experience.
~ my camera, my new best friend at times. It helps me get all those special memories recorded so I will never forget them and can pass them on. Without it my "part timers" would get the better of me.
~ a good book and the time to truly enjoy it.
~ that I grew up in a great, fun loving and close knit family that will do anything for anyone and are always there when I ask for help, or even sometimes when I don't- they just seem to know when I need them.
~ sunsets and feeling the warm sun on my face.
~ my wonderful home filled with laughter and playful little girls and boys that keep me on my toes and young at heart.
~ baking and cooking with my little girls and seeing how much they enjoy learning and helping.
~ listening to my little ones read to me. They are just learning and I think they are the smartest kids on the planet (I may be a little biased)
~ my wonderful husband who has always had my back. He works so hard and bends over backwards to make sure I am happy and taken care of.
~ hugs! From my husband or even a close friend, but mostly from my babies. I have not always liked being hugged, but I have found it gives me a nice warm feeling to have those tiny arms around my neck and a little voice saying "I love you"~ nothing better in the world.

Now you write up your own list of ten and share this meme with your family and friends. It's nice to think of things that make you happy and have your day go better because of it.

Presents For Purpose Review & Giveaway

2009-12-13T12:20:00.012-07:00

Super Gift Ideas!!!!! Can I just say I LOVE Presents for Purpose!! They carry hundreds of items and each and every one benefits one cause or another. Just think, I can buy myself something I want and still be giving to the charities I believe in. How could I ask for more??

Now while they carry tons of different items that are all equally as great and for wonderful causes, I am going to focus this review on their bracelets because they are simply beautiful!!

Take a look at a sampling of what they have:
Taylor Wildflower Bracelet

Wear The Cure Bracelet

Sterling Silver Name Bracelet

Believe Bracelet

Autism Awareness Bracelet

AIDS Awareness Bracelet

And my favorite, the Taylor Jewel Bracelet. It helps out the fight to end childhood cancers and you should all know what that means to me!!!

Here is the description of this wonderful bracelet from the Presents for Purpose site:
"SOMEDAY NO CHILD WILL HAVE TO FACE CANCER."
This is the dream of an amazing young girl named Taylor Matthews and the mission of tay-bandz, the organization she created to raise public awareness about childhood cancers and to fund research that may one day create a cure. Taylor lost her battle to cancer in February 2008, but her fight and her dream live on. $10 from each Taylor Charm bracelet will benefit tay-Bandz.
Our TAYLOR charm bracelet begins with sterling silver interlinking hearts, swarovski crystals and beautiful murano millefiori (1000 Flowers) heart pendants. Interspersed silver message pendants of "Live, Love, Laugh, Dream, and Hope" were handpicked by Taylor for inspiration. Finished with a heart lobster clasp, our Taylor bracelet is available in 2 sizes for children and adults alike."

Stunning, affordable and helps a good cause. Sounds perfect doesn't it? I thought so. You can check out more of their bracelets here , their other jewelry here, and all their other cool stuff here.Leslie at Presents for Purpose has generously offered to give one of my readers this beautiful bracelet. All you have to do to enter is go to the Presents for Purpose site, look around and come back here to tell me something about them that I haven't mentioned here.

Extra entries as always:

* Follow my blog

*Grab my button

*Blog about this contest linking back to me

*Follow Presents for Purpose on Facebook and let me know you friended them.

Contest ends 12/28/2009 @ 11:59 PM

Letter to me--Wii Fit contest

2009-12-13T11:29:00.004-07:00

My dear bloggy friend over at Chocolate Covered Daydreams has challenged her readers to write a letter for a Wii Fit giveaway. Go on over and enter yourself, but remember I REALLY want to win so don't make your letter all that good!!
I wrote one a few months ago so I am going to cheat a little and use most of it because I can’t think of anything better or more honest to write.
You can see the original here.
Or here is the very slightly edited new version.

If I could write a letter to me....
Lately on several of the blogs I read the post has been about going back in your past, knowing what you know now and what you would change. Not that it will really be interesting to anyone but me, but I am going to write the "letter to me" anyway.
In the Kenny Chesney song "Letter to Me" he talks about stopping at stop signs, hugging an aunt and thanking a teacher for helping him. All good and well, but if I had a chance to go back in time, or to warn myself in a letter of what was going to happen somehow, it would go a little like this.

Yo Trina,STOP!!!!

Whatever it is your doing just stop and take a look around! You really don't have to do EVERYTHING you think of or that your friends want you to do, slow down, enjoy yourself and take time to have more fun your life. Don't rush to grow up because as much as you want it at 15, you really wish to have that time back at 30 or45 or even after that. Being a kid is great!

Continue on being a caring and giving person, but think about what you want once in a while too. People will be happy with whatever you do so don't try so hard to please everyone at your expense. Spend more time with your kids playing and being silly, they grow up so fast and you are going to regret that you didn't give them more time while you are working for the all mighty dollar. They love you the same if you are at a park having a picnic or if you are spending your rent money at Chuckie Cheese. They just want to be with you having a good time.
Love deeply, play hard, give unselfishly, and live for the chaotic times because they will always make you smile in the end. Spend more time with your family. Your Momma and Daddy are going to die way before you are ready for them to, so never turn down an invitation to spend time with either of them, no matter what they want to do or how busy you think you are. Do your best to never let them down, but know they love you unconditionally even if you do. Give more of yourself and don't ever feel like you are burdened with requests made by your Grandparents, they also leave you before you are ready to let them go. They may be old and repeat things a lot, but they aren't doing it to annoy you. Answer their questions over and over and know that they are appreciating your patience with them.

Don't question your faith when hard things happen. Know that God has a plan for all of us and even though it isn't fair in your mind that your child or grandchildren return to Heaven before you, accept it and revel in the thoughts that you will see them again. Don't blame God for your pain, love him for making you the person you are through the things that happen in your life.Be strong, be patient, be loving and most of all, be true to yourself. Sometimes being totally honest with yourself may be so hard, but do it all the time and you will grow to have it be a habit and you will be so much happier.
Don't ever be sorry for something you did if you thought it was right at the time, but be open to other's feelings and apologize when you need to. But also don't be too stubborn or proud to admit when you are wrong. It will make you a better person and you will always be able to look a person in the eye, knowing you are a strong, proud, honest woman who truly cares for those around her. Live right, always give a little more than you think you can, never turn away someone in need, you never know who God is sending into your path to test you, and it shouldn't matter because you should treat everyone with the up most respect no matter their social or financial status.

Stand up for the under dog, for what you believe is right even if it is not the consensus of the majority of the people around you. Make everyone feel special that you come in contact with because they are the same child of God that you are. Don't make anyone the butt of a joke that you can't put yourself into because all hearts can hurt even if they act tough. Love people even when it feels they are not loving you back, just because you know it is the right thing to do!
Exercise more than you want to because that tiny, perfect little body you have now will revolt against you if you don’t take care of it. Remember it is a gift so treat it as you would your most precious treasures.

Have an open mind and heart and don't ever forget that the more you give, the more you will have to give. Love and understanding is never ending so give it like there is no tomorrow because you just never know when there wont be............

~~U*neaks Shoe Review & Giveaway~

2009-12-13T10:04:00.014-07:00

Super Gift Ideas!!!!!

If you have read here long at all you should know I have a thing with shoes. I have done several reviews for baby shoes by different companies and absolutely love most of them. But this time the shoes are or the girls and I cannot even tell you how much they love them.
Jeff over at U*neaks sent me this pair of shoes and several pair of socks and I can honestly say they are some of the cutest shoes I have ever seen for kids. They are well made with quality materials. In fact the only thing bad I can say about them is that both girls love them so much I am going to have to buy another pair so they will quit fighting over them and I guess that really isn't bad for anything but my checkbook. Even then it isn't so bad because they are very affordable and they offer free shipping on orders over $20.

So let me tell you about U*neaks shoes. They have clear side panels and the socks they sell have different designs on them so each set is like having a whole new pair of shoes. Check out some of the shoe styles.

And they have super cute socks for boys and girls and several Madagascar designs that would work for either one. They come in crew and short options and are really soft and nice, not thin and cheap. Check them out.

And because of the generousity of Jeff at U*neaks I am offering a pair of shoes and 2 pair of socks to one of my readers. All you need to do to enter is go to the U*neaks site and come back here and tell me what you would like.

Extra entries for:

*Following my blog

*Grabbing my button

*Going to visit the U*neaks site and coming back here to tell me something you love there

*Becoming a Facebook friend to U*neaks here

*Blogging about this giveaway mentioning U*neaks and linking back here.

This one will be sure to be a favorite of any kid so make sure you have your chances in!!

Contest ends 12/27/09 @ 11:59PM

Gummy Lump Toys Review & Giveaway

2009-12-13T08:20:00.001-07:00

Super Gift Ideas!!!!!

I love a great deal and if you have been reading here long you know I hardly ever buy anything that isn't on sale or a awesome deal. So looking for toys for the kids is always a challenge because they can be so expensive. But recently I found an internet toy store called Gummy Lump Toys and I was super excited becaue they have literally hundreds of great toys at affordable prices.

They carry things across the board from infant toys to special needs toys, to educational things on every level. They also have things in every price range- very reasonalbe if you ask me and remember I am cheap!!

They sent me this wooden peg puzzle to review. It is quite thick and easy for little hands to manuver the pieces. Defineitely not cheap cardboard, this thing is made to last!

Sorry, I couldn't seem to get a picture in focus, go figure.

Anyway, I opened it up and gave it to Zeke to see what he thought.

He loved it! Look at that smile. He was so excited when he got the piece in the place it went.

After he got done playing with it the girls took a turn. And it hasn't been back in his toy basket since. I asked Amber why she was playing with baby toys and her answer was "It might be made for babies, but it is fun for a 7 year old too". It must be because she plays with it for hours interchanging the animal parts.

So there ya go, toys that are fun for all ages. Seriously go over here and check them out. I know you will find something you want.

Now for the fun part. The great folks at Gummy Lump have offered to give one of my readers the same puzzle. So if you want something that can entertin your kids for hours, let me know you want to win. To enter just go over to the Gummy Lump site and take a look around. Come back here and tell me something they have that you would like. Easy as that.

Want extra entries? You can follow me, grab my button, sign up for the Gummy Lump news letter or buy something from Gummy Lump Toys before the end of this contest.

Contest ends 12/20/09 @ 11:59 PM

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

2009-12-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Miss Elizabeth, Libby, Liz, Lizzy, Starr, Lulu, Monkey-- any of the funny little names you have been given. You are 5 years old going on 14. You are so funny and have the best personality I think I have ever seen in a little girl. You say the funniest things without even realizing it most of the time. You are always the one to lighten to mood, make everyone smile and make me have a good day- except that your feelings are so tender that you cry if we laugh after you say something. We try and try to explain to you that we are laughing at the funny things you say and not laughing AT you, but you just don't understand yet. Someday you will and I hope you keep that silly sense of humor and "class clown" type personality forever. You may get yourself in trouble a time or two, but I will always stand behind you and encourage you to let yourself shine for who you are. Just try to give the teachers and daddy a break once in a while OK??
You are the most stubborn and naughty little thing at times and then you can turn around and be a sweet angel that can melt me with her smile. I love both those sides of you as I am sure I will love anything you become.

You love being a girl and everything that goes along with it, but I have to say I am more than a little worried about all the crushes you have on the little boys at school already. I guess I can find comfort knowing you will be raised the same as your new big sisters and they turned out OK so I am sure you will too! You are shy yet love to sing and dance for anyone who will watch, you love make-up and girly stuff already and you don't mind getting down and dirty with the boys fishing and playing in the dirt. Pretty much well rounded if you ask me.
You are beautiful and have been so happy that your hair has finally "reached your butt". Beautiful, thick and blond, but I do wish you would quit cutting your bangs!!
You are smart as all get out and I see how much you enjoy doing the same homework that Amber is doing. I hope you don't get bored in first grade because you will have already done all the work. You amaze me with something everyday, sometimes things you say, sometimes with things you know or want to learn. You are wise beyond your years baby and bring joy to our home in each and everything you do.

Although I would love a dozen more, you will always be my baby. You hate being babied, but get used to it because you are here to stay!
I love you will all my heart and although you didn't grow in my belly, you have taken a firm hold on my heart and my total being. I love you Libby Lu and wish for you a wonderful coming year!

Happy Birthday Little Man

2009-12-09T06:29:00.003-07:00

ONE YEAR!!!! I can't hardly believe you are a year old. Such a sweet little boy and yet you have such a devilish streak in you!
You came into this world at the perfect time to help your mommy and daddy's hearts heal. I know you met your sister before we met you and I am sure she told you all about us because since day one you have seemed to know how each of us works and you have us all wrapped around your little finger!
You are growing so fast! Already in 18 month size clothes and you have been walking for over a month. Daddy wont like this, but I think you are a really pretty boy! ALL boy though. You have eyes that will make girls fall in love with you at first site and a smile that can melt the coldest heart! I feel sorry for the girls later in life because that smile gets you whatever you want!
I call you Little D (for demon) but you know I think you are an angel and love you more than I can say. Your Grampa's little buddy and we think it is funny that you love to watch Nascar and hunting shows. You wont remember it, but when you watch TV with Grampa and a commercial comes on you hit him on the chest and point at the TV until he changes the channel to something you want to see, then you smile and pat him and settle back in the crook of his arm. You pull the funniest faces and if people laugh at you you will go on for hours. Your a ham already and you are just getting started.
So laugh little guy, play and have a great birthday and know that Gramma loves you forever and ever and can't wait to see what you become!!

Jessie Steele Review & Give Away

2009-11-29T10:49:00.003-07:00

Super Christmas Ideas!!!!!!

Remember when you were young and you went to visit Grandma? I do and what I remember most is walking in and smelling all the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen and her coming out wiping her hands off on her ever present apron. I bet she had dozens of them and they all had a pocket on the front to keep small treats in for us. I really don't remember a time I ever saw her without an apron with the exception of times we had family get togethers at restaurants or the time we had pictures taken.

For some reason when I see someone with an apron on I immediately assume they are a wonderful cook like she was. I also wish that wearing one would make me into a great cook, but that is a whole other story.

Lately when I look through womens magazines I see several of the women wearing aprons so I looked into where they were getting them and I found the Jessie Steele site.

Look at this super cute aprons and accessories.

Dinner party chef's apron

Childrens brown/pink bib

Childrens Cafe Toile

Retro Cherries half apron

Leopard Ava half apron

Blue Poppy Fields apron

Red/ Pink Damask mitt

Brown/ Pink Polka Dot Pot Holder

Summer Lemons Hot Pad

Table Floral Tea Towel

Ava Brown/Pink Dot

Pink Polka Floral tea towel

Information from the Jessie Steele site:

Jessie Steele's vintage-inspired, hostess and kitchen aprons prove true the old adage that beauty and style are timeless. Influenced by the romantic visions of a bygone era, and designed in vibrant colors, flirty patterns and figure flattering shapes, these fine quality, retro-chic cooking aprons make the perfect fashion accessory in or out of the kitchen.
Helena Steele had collected 20 th Century vintage aprons for years, enchanted by their amazing styles and nostalgic charm. These beautiful kitchen aprons symbolized the grace and beauty of a forgotten time. She visualized it was possible to preserve their heirloom characteristics while giving them a uniquely 21 st Century fit and appeal. It was time to re-focus on friends and family, and revive the fun of the "hostess" party.

Establishing a successful Kitchen Design firm, including manufacturing the custom kitchen cabinets she designs, was invaluable in launching the Jessie Steele line of vintage aprons with her daughter Claire.
Principles of balance and aesthetics apply whether you're designing an awesome kitchen, or a delightful kitchen apron. Helena and Claire create Jessie Steele vintage aprons using the same basic formula that's served her so well in all of her endeavors: a solid foundation, high quality materials, and a natural gift for expressing beauty.

**Bonus info I found on the Jessie Steele site when I was there today!! Save Now! 25% off your purchase when you enter discount code 'JSTHANKS9' at check-out. For a limited time only!

I also have this 50's Kitchen apron to give one of my readers. Just do the usual to enter- go to the Jessie Steele site and take a look a round. Come back here and let me know what you would love to have from the site.

If you want some extra entries you can:
*Grab my button and let me know where you put it
*Follow me
*Blog about this giveaway and let me know where
*Buy something from the Jessie Steele site before the end of this giveaway

Easy as that. So get the entries in because this is a really cute item and you could use it for a very nice Christmas gift.

Giveaway ends 12/14/09 11:59pm

What Do You Get?

2009-11-27T20:29:00.003-07:00

What do you get when you mix a warm November-Thanksgiving day, a trampoline and kids that have been cooped up in the house for days with the flu and are full of energy???

Yep~ Static electricity hairdo's!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T12:34:00.002-07:00

So much going on today- cooking, cleaning, looking at shopping ads that make no difference because I don't do stores with a billion and one people in them pushing and shoving.
There is a lot to be thankful for though. Here is our little list:
Amber: Thankful that all the family gets together and eats.
Libby:Family
Jaycee: Thankful for my family.
Justin: Thankful for our home.
Jeff:My new truck.
Trina: That even though we feel crappy sometimes- we have our health in most ways.

Sadness

2009-11-22T11:42:00.003-07:00

Well the horror I felt was going on in my family has come true. My cousin was questioned for the murder of his father this morning. My heart has been so heavy with the feelings that he had something to do with it and praying I was wrong, but the feelings became a reality this morning when he was arrested. The funeral was yesterday and it was a truly sad time, so many people for a small town country farmer's service. Even though he was a professor and had many degrees that is how he thought of himself, a small town, good old boy who lived for his family and worked hard for years to provide for them.
People thought he was crazy for building that "bunker" on his land. I know before my cousin Janet died she had said "My dad has lost his freaking mind", but he wanted to be prepared to care and provide for his family if there was a disaster. Now to find that the bunker and the allure of what was in it has caused his death, maybe Janet was right. It certainly caused Roger to lose his mind. How on earth could you explain cutting your father's throat, ear to ear, other than you have lost your freaking mind?? Money, collector coins, guns and ammo--- was it worth it?? How could anyone look at the man who gave them life, helped them through hard times, sat beside a hospital bed after a 4 wheeler accident and prayed for their life, and kill them in cold blood??
I can't give details because there is still an investigation and there will be a trial, but I can say the way it was done was ruthless and cold, (like there could be any other way) worse than an animal should be treated and my heart is sick.

Sugar Apple Design Review

2009-11-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Super Christmas Gift Idea!!!!

What is a sugar apple? The Sugar Apple is popular throughout the tropics. A heart-shaped fruit with a consistency and sweet flavor akin to crème brulee, Sugar Apples may be found in local markets, but commercial production is on a very limited scale. They are a popular Caribbean dessert, eaten raw in fruit salads, ice creams, and drinks.

But wait......there is another sugar apple.....Sugar Apple Design. And they have the cutest clothing and accessories created in the Caribbean and made with a Caribbean flair!! Sugar Apple Design is an eco-conscious company, dedicated to using organic fabric, non-toxic inks, and printing on items made within the United States. All these things scream out quality to me and I you all know I love anything beach related or with the island feeling so I decided to check them out, then after I saw the product I knew it was a company worth talking about.

Look at these!!

Is that the cutest little onsies ever???

They also carry adult stuff~ look at these.

And towels, beach totes and bags:

I am always in the market for cute kids clothes. Between my kids, my grandkids and my nieces and nephews I am always buying something for someone and I usually go for clothes to be the practical one, but with things from Sugar Apple Design I can be practical and the kids will love them too!!

Shanda Chiumento is the artist and designer of Sugar Apple Designs. She creates them all, some are even hand printed! Here is a blurb from her site:

"It's only natural for me to create a line that reflects all of my experiences and inspiration along the way...each of my designs are thought- fully detailed to express my interpret-ation of my subject whatever it may be...from a fruit hanging from a tree...to a coki frog singing it's song in the evening... My concept is fun and simple, it is an expression of my appreciation for the caribbean enviroment in which I have grown and loved from a very young age, it's my turn to give back...enjoy!"

So go on over and check her out, you wont be sorry!!

The Life and Times of the Perry Family

~~Before They Were Famous~~

~~Life As I Know It~~

~~He should have been awarded not charged!~~

~~Seriously????~~

~~Giveaway Winners~~

~~Giveaways still open~~

~~Smiles~~

Pet Cakes Review & Giveaway

~Hedgehogs n Hairbows Review/Giveaway~~

~PopATot Review & Giveaway~

Nachomama Tees Review & Giveaway

~~Santa and other Christmas Oriented Costumes~~

~~Zoo Wok~~

~~Flings Bins Winner~~

~~Giveaway Winners!!~~

~~Who Did It???~~

~~Flings Bins~Pop Up Recycling & Trash Bins~~

Here is the Flings Bins sustainability promise:

And their information about the recycling containers:

~~Pulling a The David Cook for NILMDTS~~

~~Outside My Office Window~~

~~Smiley Cookies Review & Giveaway~~

~~Puppies & Kittens~ A Post for Lisa~~

~~Costume Super Center Review & Giveaway~~

~~A Big Thanks to Smiths~~~

~~HearthSong Review & Giveaway~~

~~Cold Stone + Make A Wish= Free Ice Cream~~

~~Girl Gotch Review~~

~~Crazy Dog T-shirt Winner~~

~~Charm Factory Bracelet Review & Giveaway~~

~~Wee Squeak Winner~~

~~Crazy Dog T-Shirt Review & Giveaway~~

~~My Husband the Garbologist~~

~~Amber's First Day of School 2010~~

~~Libby's First Day at School~~

Swimming 2010

~~Wee Squeak Shoe Review & Giveaway~~

~~Fireworks and Parade July 4 2010~~

~~How To Handle A Husband~~

~~Libby's Graduation~~

~~Amber is Rockin' Softball~~

~~15 Year Old Mothers and Your Advise~~

~~The Irony~~

~~LOLCATS~~

~~Motherhood vs Prison~~

~~To Mom In Heaven~~

~~One Year~~

~~The Stuttering Cat~~

~~The Great Food Debate~~

~~My Dogs~~

~~For Those Over 30~~

~~Louise or Lewis?~~

~~Why We Love Children~~

~To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets~

~~I'm A Bad American.~~

~~ Cowboy Rules~~

~~Advice To Be Passed On To Your Daughter ~~

~~Help I've Fallen.......~~

~~Mrs Hughes~~

~~Big Bandaids & Mother of the Year??~~

~~Winners!~~

~~I'm Back!!!~~

~~Happy 101~~

~~Presents For Purpose Review & Giveaway~~

~~Letter to me--Wii Fit contest~~

~~U*neaks Shoe Review & Giveaway~

~~Gummy Lump Toys Review & Giveaway~~

~~Happy Birthday Elizabeth~~

~~Happy Birthday Little Man~~

~~Jessie Steele Review & Give Away~~

~~What Do You Get?~~

~~Happy Thanksgiving~~

~~Sadness~~

~~Sugar Apple Design Review~~

Before They Were Famous

Life As I Know It

He should have been awarded not charged!

Seriously????

Giveaway Winners

Giveaways still open

Smiles

Santa and other Christmas Oriented Costumes

Zoo Wok

Flings Bins Winner

Giveaway Winners!!

Who Did It???

Pulling a The David Cook for NILMDTS

Outside My Office Window

Smiley Cookies Review & Giveaway

Costume Super Center Review & Giveaway

A Big Thanks to Smiths~

HearthSong Review & Giveaway

Cold Stone + Make A Wish= Free Ice Cream

Girl Gotch Review

Crazy Dog T-shirt Winner

Charm Factory Bracelet Review & Giveaway

Wee Squeak Winner

Crazy Dog T-Shirt Review & Giveaway

My Husband the Garbologist

Amber's First Day of School 2010

Libby's First Day at School

Wee Squeak Shoe Review & Giveaway

Fireworks and Parade July 4 2010

How To Handle A Husband

Libby's Graduation

Amber is Rockin' Softball

15 Year Old Mothers and Your Advise

The Irony

LOLCATS

Motherhood vs Prison

To Mom In Heaven

One Year

The Stuttering Cat

The Great Food Debate

My Dogs

For Those Over 30

Louise or Lewis?

Why We Love Children

I'm A Bad American.

Cowboy Rules

Advice To Be Passed On To Your Daughter

Help I've Fallen.......

Mrs Hughes

Big Bandaids & Mother of the Year??

Winners!

I'm Back!!!

Happy 101

Presents For Purpose Review & Giveaway

Letter to me--Wii Fit contest

Gummy Lump Toys Review & Giveaway

Happy Birthday Elizabeth

Happy Birthday Little Man

Jessie Steele Review & Give Away

What Do You Get?

Happy Thanksgiving

Sadness

Sugar Apple Design Review