Awesome Giveaway

My friend Shauna at Trying To Stay Calm! has an amazing giveaway going on right now. She has been given an opportunity to review one of the brand new Oreck Halo Vacuums. But wait, it gets better..... Oreck has also allowed her to have a Halo vacuum to GIVE AWAY!!!

This vacuum is totally awesome! Now instead of doing extra steps in getting your floors spotless and germ free all you have to do is vacuum. And we all do that already on a regular basis. The UV-C light on the under side of the vacuum does the rest! With modern technology, features galore and extra attachments this vacuum is one that your family would enjoy for many years to come.

I have to say that this would seriously come in handy in our home. We just found a couple fleas on Noah and we're devistated. Our cats have NEVER had fleas so we're calling the vet, picking up medicine and now we have to start the cleaning. I could so use this vacuum!!

Head on over to Trying To Stay Calm! and enter for your chance to win the Oreck Halo Vacuum!

Family Tree

Family is something that is very important to James and I. Always has been and always will be. And while we know it's important it's even more important that we teach Allan this principle. While he's very attached to the aunts, uncles and cousins he sees almost every day we still have family that live far away and we don't get to see them very often.

Thanks to HearthSong, we got to try and sample of their Family Tree Wall Stickers. This thing is so much FUN!!! First, when you start to unroll the sticker sheets it seems to go on forever. There are leaves in different sizes and colors, birds, butterflies and don't forget the actual tree.

Before we even got the first sticker of the page we knew that Allan was calling the shots. He was coordinating whose picture went with what color leaf, how many "falling leaves" we would have, how high the flying bird would fly, and which butterflies were going to be "talking" to each other. We chose a great spot of wall in our hallway to decorate.

I was in charge of putting the tree stickers up. I got the trunk on just fine, but when I started to put the first branch on I realized that it was going to go right across the light switch...makes it difficult to turn the lights on and off. But because these stickers are repositionable and reusable all I had to do was peel up and move the trunk over slightly and then put the branch on missing the light switch. It was perfect! Being reusable also helps when we want to change out the pictures of move the tree to a new location in the house.

What followed next was a blur of reds, blues, greens, yellows and pinks. "Can this leaf go here?" "Yes, but the picture is upside down. Turn it around." "Where can the yellow bird go?" "How about right in front of the tree in the grass." "Mommy, I wanted Sydney's picture in the blue leaf." "Oh, sorry."

Then it was done! We stepped back and thought "Wow, that's a great tree!" I noticed the next morning when he came out of his room dressed and ready for school that he took just a minute to create a little conversation between the two butterflies he had put up the night before. Now, can you get any more priceless than that?

HearthSong is offering free shipping on any order over $65 right now!! Just enter code PSCT4 at checkout.

Click here to become a Facebook fan of HearthSong.

**we did not receive any monetary compensation from the company in this post. we did receive a sample of the featured item to try and to give an honest review**

Time Out For Women

This past weekend marked a first for me. I was able to attend Time Out For Women. My mom first told me about the weekend and I knew I wanted to go. I had always heard great things about this production and didn't want to miss it when it was going to be so close. I even invited a friend to go with me. So me, my mom and my friend all got registered and the weekend arrived.

First, my friend and I had to work a half day on Friday and surprisingly we got a fair amount of stuff done in that time, but that didn't stop us from being WAY EXCITED about the weekend's upcoming events. Then the time came for us to head out the door and we were on our way. We did stay in a hotel for the night because it was just far enough away that it wasn't worth going back home and then back to the event the next morning. We checked ourselves in the hotel, met my mom and headed to the event. Now, imagine that you have been waiting for a special weekend for a couple months and then finally it's here....you're pretty much like a little school girl, giddy with excitement aren't you? I know you're lying if you say you're not so you may as well admit it.

There we were, at Time Out For Women!!! It seemed like there was a sea of women that the three of us just melted into when we arrived. We shopped around a little bit at the book store they had onsite and then found seats and waited for it to start. And boy did it start!! On Friday night alone they had Hilary Weeks, Ardith Kapp, Mark Mabry and Michael McLean all presenting in just three hours. The spirit was definitely there on Friday night. We were enjoying ourselves so much. There were spiritual messages, stories, music and lots of laughter. Going back to the hotel we knew that we wouldn't be able to sleep for a while and ended up crashing in the wee hours of the morning because we were just on this high excitement from the evening's presentors.

Saturday was no different from Friday night. Presentors for Saturday were Hilary Weeks, Kim Nelson, Brent Top, Deanne Flynn and Mary Ellen Edmunds. Again there were spiritual messages, stories, music and lots of laughter. There were numerous tears shed knowing that what these people were saying was true and they were being led by the spirit. It was a reafirmation that we are here not by random, but with great purpose and design. And while we are here we have a Heavenly Father that loves us more than we can possibly imagine who wants nothing more than to have His children return to Him. My sense of self was strenghtened this weekend and I have recommited myself to be the best wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and daughter of God I can be.

This is an event that I would highly recommend to any woman whether you're doing great in your spirituality or if you need a lift up from above. This is the event that will help you to realize and/or remember that you are a daughter of God and have power, strength and worth that are beyond this world.

Another great product

I think my favorite item at The Original Scrapbox is the Ribbon Box. This product could come in really handy with all my ribbons. I use them for the scrapbooking and the jewelry making. Sometimes I feel like my brain is made of ribbons. Right now I have a box full of spools of ribbon that have no organizing skills of their own. This box would really teach them alot!

Another awesome product they have at The Original Scrapbox is the ScrapMaBob. I have seen this thing in action and it is great. I will be the first to admit that when I first saw them I thought, "I don't need one of those. It's just another 'extra' thing that I don't have a place for and besides I just don't need one." Well, then by the end of the scrapbooking retreat I was wishing I had one. There's a handy little spot to hold your beverage and a small trash bag to hold all your scraps that will make their way to the trash can as soon as it's full.

They have other great products you can go check on that can seriously help your organizing no matter if you do scrapbooking, jewelry, knitting or just need an extra storage option.

PLUS - - - Enter this code when you place your order to get $100 off your shipping: 100Writes

The Original Scrapbox Giveaway

Wow! Here I am racking my brain to think of all the ways I can get my scrapbooking, jewelry and now knitting supplies organized and the people at The Original Scrapbox have already designed an awesome all-in-one, store anything ya got armoire. This beautiful piece of furniture has boxes, pockets and shelves for everything you could possibly store. And then when you're not using it you just fold it back in and it looks beautiful!!

I saw this giveaway at the Life as Lou blog and desperately would LOVE to win this. If you get a chance go over to her site and check out the ways you can enter to win.

Two Blue Rugs

One of the first things you teach your child as they develop is colors. Which circle is red? Which bird is blue? Which block is orange? And you go along thinking that things are working out really well. So by the time your child is five you’re thinking that you’re on the path, full steam ahead, no looking back…….then again maybe not.

One night we were getting ready for bed and I wanted to take the bath rugs downstairs to wash them. I LOVE the feel of clean, fluffed rugs under my feet!! I asked Allan if he could go into the bathroom and get the two blue rugs and put them at the top of the stairs. He says ok and in he goes. He comes out a minute later and says he can’t find them. Really? Are you sure you looked for them? Can you check again? Off he goes for a second time. He comes out another minute later and says he really can’t find them. Surprisingly I’m extremely calm because by this time I could have had the rugs downstairs and in the wash. No, no…I wanted to see where this was going to go.

I decide to go into the bathroom with him and “search out” the two blue rugs. I stand at the front of the bathroom, in front of the vanity. Allan stands at the back of the bathroom, in front of the potty. I tell him again, “Mommy is looking for two….blue….rugs. Do you see two….blue….rugs?” His eyes start to wander, first the ceiling, then the wall, then the other wall, inside the bathtub and behind the potty. While he’s searching diligently to find these two blue rugs I step into our bedroom where James is waiting and say, “This might take awhile.” I step back into the bathroom where Allan tells me again that he cannot find the two blue rugs. I tell him again (very calmly….no really, I was) that I am looking for two….blue….rugs.

I ask him if there is anything in the bathroom that’s blue. He points out the blue can of Febreze. I admit that it is in fact blue. So I ask him if there are two of them. No, he says. So I tell him that can’t be it and besides, the can isn’t a rug. “What else do you see that’s blue?” He points to the can of Vanish. I admit again that it is in fact blue and ask again if there are two of them. No, he says. I decide to change emphasis.

I tell him again that I’m looking for two….blue….rugs. I talk to him for a few seconds about being a rug and if I were a rug, or a carpet, where would I be. He looks in the bathtub and points out the bath mat. I tell him he’s on the right track, but is that one blue? No, he says. At that point he’s feeling the angst of defeat. He keeps his head hung as if he succumbs to the idea of never finding the two blue rugs. Also, at that point his glance comes out of the tub and lo and behold what does he see? The blue rug he’s standing on!! Feeling a great sense of triumph he looks up at me and points to the blue rug with a huge smile on his face. Eureka!!! I tell him yes, it’s a blue rug and I ask him if he sees another. His eyes roam for a few seconds and then they fall on the blue rug I’m standing on. Again, the triumph sweeps over him and he points to the one I’m standing on. I could almost hear the chorus of angels as he picks up the two blue rugs and puts them at the top of the stairs.

With such a great end to the evening it was time to go to bed. Allan in his bed dreaming of the grand adventures to be had with the two blue rugs. James and I in our bed giggling and knowing what a memorable moment has just been created.

It's about time!

Well, our family has finally made it into the blogging world!! We hope that this will enable our family and friends to see what's going on in our lives...funny, crazy, happy and sometimes sad. We have family and friends all over the US and we figured this would be the best way of updating everyone at once without leaving anyone out.

We are very excited about the possibilities of doing this blog. The most excited are Cleo and Noah (our cats). They have a lot to say and I'm sure they will post like maniacs when we're not looking. So watch out! The rest of us have lots to say as well. There seems to be a lot of things going on around our home that we have to let everyone know about.

It soon will come!!!!