May 22, 2013

Home sweet home

I haven't posted in far too long. We were on vacation (went home to visit) and then we caught a very yucky bug- like the worst sickness/bug in a long long time. We have been on antibiotics for over ten days, and finally... finally feeling better. For two weeks we have been a sick, lazy, sleepy, lounging family. It drained me. Oh, and I somehow agreed to altering two prom dresses for young women from our church, so that has been just a wee bit of a time commitment (wink). Anyways, Rosie and I went "home" to visit and meet our newest baby in the family. I still call it home, and always will call it home, even if it is not our real home for the time being. We were all three born in that beautiful salty city, we met and fell in love there, and our dearest families are there = home. I love going home; the sight of the snow capped mountains from the plane, walking into my parents house and feeling comfort like none other, special treasures placed on my bed from my Mama, lunch dates, family parties, cousins, late night snacking with my Dad, outdoor adventures with the brothers, sitting on the foot of my parents bed all night while I chat with my Mama, spending time with my sweet Poppy and Grandma, laughing with friends, and of course yummy food. Rosie and I were sure lucky. 
Sorry in advance for the picture overload

The best way to fly!
 Adventure to Snowbird. It was beautiful in the mountains. 
Rosie fell asleep at the restaurant mid-bite of her bread ha!
We celebrated Grandpa Doug's graduation!
  
Buffet at The Grand America to celebrate.







                                     Lunch at the Dodo of course. I dream of the Turkey Sandwich alllllll the time.
 Celebrated these two cute Birthday Boys!
 We did a brunch with my cousins and all their kiddos. 
Such fun times to see all of them together.

 We laughed and laughed as we goofed around with the camera timer...... (cut off cousin Karalyn... oops)
 Visits with friends are always fun - not at this particular moment maybe?
This makes me think of "Charlie you bit my finger" only reversed ha!
  
Zoo Day

 The first zoo visit for little miss and she loved it.
 

More cousin time

 We had to get photos of these two chubs!
Francie and Rosie
Bff cousins. Just three months apart. 
They are going to be troublemakers someday!

 Swinging with Grandma Linda
Just hanging with uncle Landon

 The sweetest visits with my Poppy
I love how this photo captured their wall. 
This brings back many childhood memories on that wooden bench.


 Our fun night downtown. 
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Co. 
Apple Pie Caramel Apple!!
It is quite entertaining attempting to get a good photo of these three. 
One wee little one screaming in a car seat, one very wiggly one,
 and one patient seven year old trying to control them both 

 The temple grounds were covered in gorgeous tulips. 


A must must must visit while in town
I swear I am drooling right now as I think about these waffles. 
There's nothing that compares. 
This was our last stop before heading to the airport. 
I made sure of it!

 It never gets easier leaving.
The first few times I left home I thought "Someday it will be easier, I just know it"
Nope! It's still not. In fact, maybe on the contrary. 
Now with Rosie it's even harder leaving. She is SO loved by everyone, and my heart just melts when I see her with all of our family. She can feel it. They can feel it. It's true joy!
We are so blessed to be loved by so many.
I am grateful for the visits home and the many memories we make. 
Each time I get on that plane with tears in my eyes, 
and see those blurry beautiful mountains fading in the distance behind me, 
I smile and get that much more excited for the next adventure home.



May 16, 2013

DIY chalk canisters


This was a real simple DIY.
 Just the kind I like. 


Supplies:
Canisters (These glass canisters are from Home-Goods & cost about $4.00 each)
Paper- To make stencil
Tape- to tape off stencil
Chalkboard Spray-paint (can be found at any craft store, target or walmart)

On a regular piece of paper I drew this little shape, 
(took me about a billion times to get it right, I am not an artist). 
I then cut out my stencil and taped it right onto the glass. 
I sprayed one coat of chalk paint, dried for an hour and sprayed one more. 
The photo below shows how the paint drips a bit. All I did was use a rag and my fingernails to wipe/scratch the drips off. It was seriously so much easier than I thought!



Super easy *and CUTE  chalk board canisters for under $20.00






May 8, 2013

Mother’s Day Gift Guide & Giveaway


For this Mother’s Day, I have teamed up with a group of fabulous “Mommy Specialist” Bloggers to create the perfect “New Mom” Mother’s Day Gift Guide!  Here are all of the essentials hand-picked by us!! And best of all, if you enter with the Rafflecopter link below, you have the chance to win all 12 items!! The giveaway will run  through Saturday, May 11th at Midnight and the winner will be announced on the morning of Mother’s Day, May 12th!
All gifts will be shipped shortly thereafter.

 Our New Mom Mother’s Day Gift Guide
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1. We are obsessed with the these sassy mugs from Ashley Brooke Designs! No, but really.  My personal favorite it’s the ‘Everyday I’m Hustlin’ = story of my life! hehe Check out all her cute designs here, .
2. Talk about neck candy! Swooning over the Ellandemm‘s Emmie necklace! Jenn’s jewelry collection is both classy and chic. Head over to her site, we dare you not to fall in love!
3. Featured on Pregnancy & Newborn Mag, these trendy Solly Baby wraps help you get things done, while cozing up to baby! This is a great idea to begin with but with baby #2 it becomes an essential! Check out Mom’s Hot Product winner here. I have one and loved it! We even took our baby snowshoeing in it!
4. We love Livy Love Designs‘ fun and playful prints! Check out her cute Etsy shop to look for the one you love!
5. Featured on Time Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and Food Network Mag, AHeirloom‘s state shaped cutting boards are a piece of art in any kitchen! The ‘Heart’ on the board is a custom feature that is placed on the city of your choice! I have my eye on the one of Peru! See more of her designs here.
6. We all know and love them! When the Six Sister Stuff‘s cookbook came out we were one of the first to check it out! We love their yummy recipes because they are easy to follow and great for family meals! More of their favorite family recipes here.
7. Being a mom never looked so good! Our friends over at Sassy Babies have teamed up with us to give one of you the Petunia Pickle Bottom ‘sashay’ satchel! Their online shop has the all essentials you’ll need for you and baby. Check them out here.
8. Your little man had never looked cuter than with his Henry bow tie and other adorable items from Colin’s Closet. Andrea is giving away 2 bow ties of the winners choice. Check out  her Etsy shop here.
9. When we first discovered Fingers & Toes crib bedding designs it was love at first sight! Their custom crib bedding and cute fabrics makes them a must for every new mom! The winner will receive a custom hooded towel made from the fabric of their choice. Etsy shop here.
10. For the little one in your life, Little Nugget Noggins have made hats, headbands and leggings cuter than ever! The winner will receive 2 headbands  OR 2 hats of their choice. Find your favorites here.
11. Give your mini me a set of 10 mini bloom flowers from our friends over at Bloomies Handmade! They have the cutest collection of girl’s accessories! You have to check out their site here.
12. You don’t want to miss the chance to win one of Juniper Wilde‘s hip, eco-friendly pillows! More of Nicole’s hip, nursery designs and decor here.
All of these wonderful contributing vendors have great social media accounts with insider scoops, deals, and news so be sure to follow them!
Our fabulous panel of ‘Mommy Specialist’ Bloggers
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Contest Details



a Rafflecopter giveaway

April 26, 2013

Friday Favorites: Household products

Our dishes recently started coming out of the dishwasher with that waxy looking film on them. The first time it happened I thought "hmmmmm.... that's weird" and just ran the cycle again (hoping it would magically fix itself just like any other annoying little household nuisance). I sort of forgot about the issue, until we had our friends over for dinner and as I pulled our glasses from the cupboard saying "they are clean I promise, they were just washed" ha ha! I tried a few different products and 'home mixes' and finally found the Lemi shine. It worked the very best. It is super cheap, easy to use and took care of the problem immediately. A few weeks later while on the daily phone call with my Mama, she mentioned her dishes looking the same way. She tried the Lemi Shine and loved it too. 
She told my Grandma, she then told my aunt, she then called me and said " That stuff is great, you need to share it on your blog." So, here I am sharing it on my blog. 
I have also added a few other favorite household products. 

Method Le Scrub- A very delicate soft scrub, but still scrubs enough to clean away all dirt and grime. 
I use it for many purposes, not just tubs and tile. It gets water spots for sure. 
The eucalyptus mint scent is perfect and it is non-toxic, non-irritating and mostly natural.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day hand soap-  I wash my hands about a million times a day, so they get painfully dry. This soap has aloe vera and olive oil to keep hands soft while cleansing.
 The basil scent is soooooo yummy.

Perfect Glass Cleaner- I found this by accident at Bed Bath and Beyond, and it was a great accidental find! Whenever I go into that store I see hundreds of items that I didn't even know existed, but suddenly they seem "essential" to cooking, cleaning, organizing etc. Like the magic space shoe organizers, or the microwavable bacon cooking tray ha ha!! but really, this glass cleaner is so great!

Arm and Hammer Sensitive Skin + fresh scent- I have really sensitive skin. Most sensitive skin detergents are significantly more expensive. This is the best price and I swear the smell of our laundry has never ever been so strong and lasted so long. 

Dawn Hand Renewal Dish soap- Again- my hands get unbearably dry, and this dish soap makes a big difference. The lavender is my favorite of the three scents.

Last but not least, my favorite home scent:
Arugula candle by Archipelago. 
AMAZING!! 
My Mama gave this to us the last time she visited. 
She started something. Both John and I can't get enough of it. 
He has such an opinion about the candles I burn- they can't be too sweet, too girly, too strong, etc. etc. This one, perfect for everyone!