Favorite Things Party

What a fun idea! I have been hearing about people throwing "Favorite Thing" Parties and this one was very well put together and darling. I wanted to have one of these parties earlier this month but December proved a difficult month for everyone with all the holiday celebrations. So, I am hoping I can pull one together for February. 

Have any of you had a party like this? If  so, send us your ideas and pictures!

Visit Daydreaming and Sightseeing to see pics of her amazing party!

Honest Company FREE Trial!

The Honest Company, founded by the ever popular Jessica Alba, is running an AWESOME FREE Trial of their products! 

You can also sign up for their monthly diaper service or product service and have a package arrive on your door step monthly! No diaper runs anymore...the best part?? Their diapers are chlorine and chemical free and eco-friendly...not to mention they come in super cute designs! And all of their baby products are 100% natural! Worry free baby care! And as moms we can all use a little less worry!

Take a look and give the trial a run...you just have to pay $5.95 for shipping and handling which is still a heck of deal for what you will be getting! 

http://honest.com/182281

Winner Winner ...Doorbell Dinger!

Thanks to all the ladies that entered our contest and shared on your pages! We had an overwhelming response...ok not really...but we are still pleased with the 11 unique entries! I numbered all of you by the order you commented and also made sure to give you an extra number for being a "follower" and also for sharing on Facebook. So some of you had 3 entries total. I then put the numbers into Random.org and it picked #19...which had the name of .......

Stephanie M! 

Yay Steph! I think this is a super fun prize and I hope your kiddos love it! Please send me your mailing address to my e-mail lauravannoy@gmail.com. I will then submit it to Melissa and Doug. They said to give them 10 days to fulfill the order and then ship it. 

Y'all don't despair! We will have many more giveaways and if you are already a follower you will be entered in all of them! 

Thanks again for participating and we hope you stick around!

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

We all know and love Melissa & Doug toys! Check out their Terrific Twenty for your little ones this Christmas!

What can be better than giving Melissa & Doug for Christmas?!?! Getting it for FREE of course!!

Melissa & Doug has given us a choice of a FREE item from the Terrific Twenty to give away to our readers! 

 We debated and hemmed and hawed and decided to give away THIS. It is too cute and can be played with by girls and boys! Who wouldn't love pushing the doorbell and using the keys in the various locks!?

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1. Follow our Blog

2. Visit The Terrific Twenty page and look through the items. Come back and comment and tell us your favorite!

3. For an extra entry share this giveaway on Facebook and/or your own blog then come back and tell us!

We are a new blog and still getting our groove so stick around as we find our footing! Thank you!!

Favorites Extravaganza

I was pondering last night about how much I like stuff. I love stuff! Since we are currently in-between jobs and must save every penny of our rapidly depleting savings, I have not been able to buy any new stuff. I haven't been wanting much though, because the stuff I do have...is awesome. I have no stupid stuff. (Warning: This blog will overuse the word "stuff"). As I was pondering my love of stuff, I thought "I wonder if anyone else knows how wonderful this stuff is?" So I am making a favorites extravaganza to showcase the top 5 best things I own in each category. I use all of it, but I am not being paid or anything to write this...so don't worry about that. I wonder what that would be like....*sigh*.
Onward!

Top 5 Favorite Food Products

*Brummel & Brown Yogurt Butter-This is the tastiest butter spread ever. I do not exaggerate. I don't use it for baking (I use regular butter for that), but I use it on toast, fresh baked bread, baked potatoes, rice, and any other foods you would use butter as a condiment on. It's less fat, less carbs, no trans fat. Superb. Try it. You can get it at Walmart.

*Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt- I am not a brand fanatic of any greek yogurt. Chobani is good. Oikos, Fage....all good. Right now, I have Cabot in my fridge. I use it in place of sour cream. It's healthier and lighter. My favorite is to spread it on corn tortillas and fill with taco fixin's.

*Kirkland Macadamia Nut Salted Caramel Clusters- These don't need to be explained. Super addicting.

*Diet Coke- I love it. But I also hate it. But I still love it. 

*Coconut Oil- This stuff is supposedly a super food. I use it for oil pulling, as a lotion, and a substitute for butter in baking. 

Top 5 Favorite Beauty Products

*Burt's Bees Blemish Stick-This feels refreshing and has a pleasant scent (to me at least). It has a roller ball and goes on smoothly without dripping or pooling. If I have a zit, it doesn't stick around as long when I use this. 

*Revlon Lip Butter- This stuff is so smooth and creamy and fabulous. I have two different kinds; one in creamsicle, and the other in cherry tart. The creamsicle is basically the same color as my lips so I use it more of a chapstick, but the cherry tart is a lovely coral color for when I feel fancy.

*Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara- It's the best mascara I have tried. It makes my short, stubby lashes seem long and sexy. 

*Essie Nail Polish- This is the only nail polish I can use because I am totally inept at painting my own nails. The brush is flatter and wider than other brushes and the colors are amazing. 

*Ped Egg- This might make some of you laugh because its from those "As Seen on TV" products, but I have smooth feet and you don't so HA!

Top 5 Favorite Health Products

*Biotin Vitamins- Less hang nails, less dry skin, silkier hair...Yes Please! Take one of these a day.

*Bath and Body Works Vanilla Berry Hand Sanitizer with PocketBac Holder- So easy. I need one for all my purses because I forget to switch them. I just attach it to the strap loop or zipper so that I don't have to dig through my purse. Efficient. Also, I love the Vanilla Berry scent. Mmm.

*WaterPik- Okay, so for an experiment one night I brushed my teeth and then I flossed and then I used the WaterPik....I was disgusted by how much stuff came out after brushing AND flossing traditionally. Ewe.

*Spinbrush- Love the clean feeling. Sometimes I switch back to a regular toothbrush but my teeth don't feel as "scrubbed" as with my spin brush. 

*Kleenex Wallet Pack- Not only are these packets super cute, but they last so much longer in purse or diaper bag than the other travel sized kleenex. 

Top 5 Favorite Kids Toys (for Atrion)

*Buzz Lightyear- Seriously one of the coolest toys of all time. It's Atrion favorite.

* Woody- This is Atrion's second favorite, because who is Buzz without his pal Woody? Not as cool as Buzz, but still fun and just like the toy in the movies.

*Melissa and Doug Blocks- These toys are pricey, but so worth it. Even Cody and I have a good time playing with these blocks...and we have zero imagination.

* VTech laptop- This laptop has helped Cody and I teach Atrion about the alphabet and animals. there is even a blog and email function, but we haven't messed with that. 

*Melissa and Doug Wood Puzzles- These are also expensive, but Atrion is seriously a puzzle genius now. This pictured puzzle is actually his favorite. 

Top 5 Favorite Zombie Items

I am a little  a lot obsessed with zombies. Which is why I am loving the recent zombie craze and all the zombie wonderfulness that is going on. 

*Last Night On Earth board game with expansion- This is my favorite board game of all time. I could play it over and over again. It plays out like a zombie horror movies. One or two people play the zombies and up to four people play the heroes. There are different scenarios and a ton of different heroes and items. the board game even changes. It's neat. It's more for the teen/ adult age group though. 

* "Walking Dead" TV Series- This show is gruesome and pretty graphic, but I love it. I shouldn't...but I do. They do an amazing job with the zombies and the actors are amazing. 

*Zombie Dice- Another zombie game. This one plays really fast and is a fun one to break the ice or just casually play.

* "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan- Love this book. It is about zombies, but the word zombies isn't mentioned once. It's a trilogy and the third book "The Dark and Hollow Places" is my favorite. 

* runforyourlives.com - This site speaks for itself. It isn't an "item" and I have never done it, but I love it and want to do it. 

Top 5 Favorite Purchases of the Past Year

*iPad- I love my iPad. I watch netflix on it, I check my facebook, I skype with it, I take pictures with it, I draw on it, I play apps on it, and I read on it. I can also do my homework and check into my classes with it. If I have a question, I look it up in safari. I can even blog with it. Best of all, I can keep Atrion entertained on long drives, when I need downtime, in Sacrament meeting (I only let him use the drawing app in Sacrament...equivalent of crayons and paper), in the morning when I am not fully awake, and when he wants to watch a show, but I want to watch TV.

*Smashbook- If you don't have one....get one. I don't have a lot of time to scrapbook all cute and neat, but this smashbook make the chaotic pictures, movies stubs, and other things I gather look chic. I have the retro blue one. 

* West Elm tea cup-  I know I am silly, but these tea cups make me happy. I got them on sale with free shipping so it was a steal. In the picture, I have the light blue and yellow one in the back.

*Blue plates from Target- Pretty, oh so Pretty!

*Maurices Jeans- These make my butt look good. 

Well that's all folks! If you have favorites you want to share, let me know!

Best Banana Cake Ever

So my mother in-law made the best banana cake I have ever eaten. It also might be the best cake I have ever eaten, but I would need to do a panel to be sure. That sounds divine. A cake testing panel....mmm.....

Mug Cake

Imagine my delight when my husband found a new, easy, and FAST dessert recipe! I was so happy I wanted to burst. This is an awesome recipe that any chocolate/dessert addict should tuck away in their toolboxes. May I present (drum roll, if you will):

Mmm...

I jogged/walked three miles this week. Does that mean I can eat this whole plate of cookies? Please say yes, because they might already be gone....

Baking Soda Facial

Here is another pin I tried out last night. The great thing about doing this blog, is that I am actually doing the pins instead of just "saving" them for later and forgetting all about it. I am so glad I tried this one too!

First off, it is originally from this blog, and the writer has a disclaimer saying she has no idea how often to do it, but she does it once a week. I am tempted to do it everyday, but I won't. It firmed up my skin and made it glow so nice. Even my husband noticed...which is pretty amazing. No offense, Sweet!

HURRY Over to Toys R Us!

You definitely want to head over to Toys "R" Us today if you are one of those people that have any birthdays coming up or like to get Christmas shopping done early! They have Toys up to 60% off! Go check it out!

                      I don't even know what these are but for $4.98 (Reg. $14.99) I would buy it! Xia-Xia Copacbana.

                       Imaginarium Five Alarm Fire Station Playmat and Figures (reg. $19.99) only $9.98...this looks super cute!

Go check it out! I hope you find something good! 

Refreshing Orange Treat

I have a pretty amazing husband. Among many of his talents, he can cook with ease. Everything he makes on the first try comes out delicious. Whereas, I have to try and try and try again to get it right. I am not complaining though, because I get awesome meals that I don't have to cook. For my birthday two years ago, Cody got me a book called "The Flavor Bible". It basically teaches you how to cook using flavors instead of measurements. It's more for those who have the basics of cooking down already, but anyone can learn from it. 

This book is where Cody got this little sweet treat idea from. We had a bunch of leftover oranges so he looked up that ingredient in the book and it said that honey, walnuts, ginger, and cinnamon go great with oranges. So he diced up the orange, added some honey, chopped walnuts, some powdered ginger, cinnamon, and Presto! Delicious! It's so refreshing, especially on a hot day or when you feel like you have gorged on too much food. Add each ingredient with the amounts that you love and enjoy. No measurements needed.

Lemon and Honey Blackhead Remover Review

Blackheads are gross. That's why I want to remove them. I even went so far as to rub Lemon and Honey all over my face, because this Pinner said it worked immediately. And I love instant gratification.
Well, unfortunately, I still have the trouble spots. The blog that it was pinned from claimed that it would also moisturize the skin and leave it smooth and clean. My face does feel smooth and clean, but there are still those blackheads on my chin and nose. So much for instant gratification.

1 out of 5 stars since I wasted half a lemon on my face.

My Top 5: Favorite Books

My Top 5...

Favorite Books/Book Series:

1. The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind- It's a 13 book series, but don't let that scare you. All the books are published and available for reading right away, so you don't need to wait for the next one to come out. Read about it here or here. "Wizards First Rule" is the first book, so start there. :)
2. "Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan- This is book one of a three part trilogy. The second book is called "The Dead-Tossed Waves" and the third is "The Dark and Hollow Places". The 1st and the 3rd were my favorites, but the 2nd is necessary. Read about it here.
3. "Room" by Emma Donohue- This is a sad, interesting, sweet, and terrifying story about a boy who lives with his mom in a 12x14 foot garden shed. His mom was kidnapped and kept as prisoner in this reinforced cell. Jack, the little boy of about 5, was born in the room and never has seen the outside world. The story is told from his perspective and offers a unique and sweet voice to a very horrifying situation. Read more about it here.
4. "A Tree Grow In Brooklyn" by Betty Smith- I love this book. It's tied with "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. I love the honesty of the main character, Francie, as well as the struggles and observations that she goes through. Read all about it here. Both "The Jungle" and "Tree Grows in Brooklyn" document the hardships faced by immigrants and poor people in a time where there weren't government programs and things to help those in need even if their pride would allow them to take it.
5. "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt- If you didn't read this in Middle School or High School, then stop by your local library and pick up a copy.  It is a wholesome good read that makes me value what I have and what I grew up with. Family is important, and sticking together is what it's all about. Read about it here. 

These are my quick picks of favorite books. If you want a whole list of what I have read and what I rated each one, go here.

What are your top 5 favorite books?

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER...No Joke!

I repinned a pin on Pinterest (what a phrase!) that said to add vanilla pudding mix to cookie batter to create the fluffiest cookies ever. Well, when I went back to look at the recipe, all that showed up was a picture of the cookies. I hate when that happens.

I was all geared up to do cookies though, so I decided to experiment a little bit and boy am I glad I did! I have been on a lifelong quest for the best chocolate chip cookies and I think these are it. I followed the recipe on the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag and then added a Tbs of Vanilla pudding mix. I might have added a little more than a Tbs but I just eyeballed it.

Here is the recipe, if you don't have one handy:

Washi Tape

Over the past week I have seen Washi Tape popping up all over the net. It is super cute tape. I was instantly drawn to the colors and patterns but kept passing it up because why in the world do I need pretty tape? Well, I will tell you  why! I need it to dress up note cards and envelopes and to tape up cute things on bulletin boards and to wrap around my lollipop sticks...cuz who wants a sucker with a plain white stick these days when it can be an AWESOME stick instead!

So I found a great deal and decided to see what this wishi washi is all about;) It is $1.75 and buy one roll get one FREE over at Rubee Lane! This tape is also being featured over at Very Jane (another fav. site) but it is priced a little bit higher. However, Very Jane has prettier patterns to choose from. And if pretty tape just isn't your thing I still recommend browsing both sites...especially the ruffle blankets over at Very Jane.

When my tape arrives I will let you know if it lives up to all the hype!

Free Shipping at Oriental Trading

If you like to get your party supplies from Oriental Trading like we do then hurry and head over to get FREE SHIPPING on any order through June 25th! They also have lots of 4th of July stuff for up to 70% off! Free shipping is like finding a dollar in your coat pocket unexpectedly...makes me a little giddy!

Just enter code: WCE3352 at checkout!

Click on the picture to be taken directly to Oriental Trading.

Homemade Pore Strips

Lately I have seen a pin on Pinterest about homemade pore strips. I have a trouble spot on my chin that is pretty bad and decided I would try it out. My sister-in-law, Shelby, came out to the house so we did it together.

I followed the simple instructions from Petit Elefant . My mother in law had unflavored gelatin on hand, so the whole project cost me $0.

Health Challenge

Does anyone else feel like the world of health and nutrition has become increasingly complicated? So much so, that when an easy solution is presented it feels like it won't work? Me too. I was awake last night thinking about why I just can't stick to a diet or exercise plan. The reason is because I have never made exercise or dieting a habit. I eat pretty healthy meals, but then I gorge on desserts and snacks and treats late into the evening. I am a sedentary person at night, and do a lot of running around and cleaning during the day (most days). I guess I just eat more calories than I burn.

Here is my analysis of how easy it should be to lose weight (har har):

Toca Boca

I acquired an iPad 2 a few months ago, and let me tell you....it's awesome. I love it, Atrion loves it. We have a few extra minutes of quiet time each day thanks to this product. If I want to doze a little longer in the morning then I just whip the iPad out. Atrion knows how to navigate it probably better than most adults and has become quite tech savvy because of it. I have had to invest in some Speck Ipad 2 2-Pk. Shieldview Screen Protectors, but that's totally worth it. There are some really fun apps for kids that promote learning as well as fun and imagination. I sometimes idly wonder what my life would have been like had I had an iPad when I was young. I definitely wouldn't have been outside as much I was. So, while I adore the iPad for so many things (especially grocery store trips and long car rides), I definitely don't want to let it take time away from usual kid things.

Summer Reading

I am always looking for good book suggestions and I love giving my own. I can talk about books more than anyone cares to listen. This summer, reading is a major activity in my home. My six year old is still learning this skill so we are hitting the books hard! So whether for leisure or learning check out these selections!