~~Gummy Lump Toys Review & Giveaway~~

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~~

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~~

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~~

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?~~

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~~

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~~

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~~

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!!

~~Horror In My Family~~

A very horrible thing happened in my family this week. A very loved man who was my uncle was murdered in his home. An eccentric 70 year old man who loved his kids and grandkids, who was a professor at BYU for 30+ years, who would give the shirt off his back if someone needed it, had his throat cut ear to ear so some assholes could have the money and guns he kept at his home. The only 2 things that are consoling about this is that his wife was not home and he is now with my cousin Janet who died in an accident 21 years ago.
How can people do things like that to each other?? People have said it could be druggies looking to score money or things to sell to get drugs, but I have my own opinion. I wish I could say more about my opinion, but the investigation is ongoing and we really can't talk much about it. I will say though, that my heart is heavy and my stomach in knots thinking about what happened and who I truly feel is involved. I hope I am wrong! I hate having these thoughts and I can't even really say why the thoughts came into my head, but they did.
My heart is breaking for my cousin Julie who has to bury her father. He may have been 70, but you never would have guessed it by looking at him. He was young and active and taken from this life way too soon.
Everybody please pray for the police to come to a quick conclusion to this horrible situation. Pray that my gut feelings are wrong~ I have never wanted to be wrong so bad in my whole life! Pray that his kids make it through this and stay strong. And most of all pray that things like this stop happening before we end up exterminating our own race.
If you want to read the story you can go here or here, or his obituary here.

~~Happy Birthday Baby~~

We thought of you with love today, but that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday, and days before that too. We think of you in silence, we often speak your name. Now all we have is memories, and your picture in a frame. Your memory is our keepsake, with which we'll never part. God has you in his keeping, we have you in our hearts.




Sweetest Zariah,

Today is your 2nd birthday and the second one we don't get to spend with you. I know you would be a super big sister, helping your little brother learn how to walk and playing with him. I know you met him when you went to Heaven before he came, but I would rather you be here with him now, as does everyone else.


I bet you would be talking up a storm- probably impossible to shut up just like your mommy, but I would give anything to hear your sweet voice even one time.

Your beautiful brown eyes that told a story and showed all the love you had for us will always be in my mind and your sweet baby smell always alive in my senses.

I often wonder what you would be like. What you would have grown up to be and what you would have looked like. Would it have been more like mommy or daddy?

Would you have had the nappy hair we always joked about or would it have been softer and straighter like Zeke's? Which ever it would have been, I would have loved sitting with you and fixing your hair to make it beautiful.

I know you watch over us with gramma and grampa, and I know you see how much we miss you. But what you can't see is how much we still love you and want to make sure you stay in the hearts of our family.

Dance and be happy today sweetheart. Enjoy your birthday and all the ones to come and know that we are here on earth celebrating with you.
We love you Z.