Favorite Things Party- You MUST Have One!

Thanks to my obsession with Pinterest, I have ideas for fun stuff just spilling out of my head!

I found a fabulous idea for a party that I just had to follow through with. My Sunday school class was scheduling a Girls Night, so I suggested we do a Favorite Things Party, and offered to host at my house last Friday Night. It was such a hit! We had a total of 15 people there, and I asked everyone to bring an appetizer or dessert to share, and also bring whatever they'd like to drink.



Here's the original instructions from the Pin:

Each person brings their favorite thing (anything you like.. your favorite lip gloss, favorite kitchen tool, favorite gift wrapping supply, a gift card for your favorite frozen yogurt, etc.). It can't cost more than $6, and each person brings five of the same thing. When you arrive at the party, you write your name on five slips of paper and throw them in a big bowl. The bowl is passed around, and each person takes five names (making sure you don't pick your own.. or two of the same name). One at a time each person introduces their favorite thing and then reads the five names they picked from the bowl, passing out their gift to those five guests. After everyone at the party has presented their favorite thing, each person should end up with five gifts to take home. It's always interesting to see what people choose, and some guests have started to bring a notepad and pen to jot down what people love.

We chose to modify a bit- we went with three $10 gifts.

I bet you can wager a guess as to what I picked up for my three gifts..... nail polish! I got Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat because it seems like people don't know about it, and it's life changing! (well, as life changing as a beauty product can be!)

And here's what I received: a market basket from Kirkland's to use when I go shopping (rather than use Target or Wal-Mart's nasty little baskets, a silicon spoon/spatula from Williams Sonoma, and the book Heaven is for Real.

We had a wonderful time and there was a lot of "Ohhh..... I've never seen that before!" and "I have to get that!". Have you hosted a party like this before?

Be On the Lookout For

If you are out and about, and see these things, let me know!

I am about mid-way through a crocheted blanket for P, and of course Wal-mart no longer carries the color I've been using, Red Heart French Country. I just found it online for around $8-9, but I just can't pay that when I've only been paying $3 or so to Sam. We just got a Joann Fabric store, so maybe I should check there?




And being a good Chi O, it's imperative that I have the skull and crossbones nail polish strips for Halloween this year! And the ghosts are so cute too! I've checked my Wags and CVS, but they are so slow to put new things out, so I'm not all that hopefully. Maybe I'll check Ulta?

Excitement!

After The Hottest Summer in History (really), a cool front is coming in this weekend, pushing our high temps down in the low 90s, and do you see that 88????? Yay!!!!!!

I am so ready for cool weather! I'm already painting my nails fall colors, just for good measure. Sort of like a rain dance. Right now I'm wearing Orly Fowl Play, shown in the pic above, and it's gorg.


Since I plan on losing all this extra weight doing the Jumping Jack Challenge, I'm busy planning all the cool things I want to wear this fall.

What are you looking forward to?

Jumping Jack Challenge

via

I know, I know. I have a terrible track record for completing "programs". But I am totally going to finish this one! It's fun!

Obv I didn't get started on August 1, so I am just marking off the days as I do them one by one. I started Sunday and did Day 2 yesterday. I can totally feel it in my arms and it was quite a cardio boost.

Note that you don't need to do 300 in a row.... you can spread them out during the day. I have been doing 50 at a time.

Who's with me?????

Confession

My favorite TV show right now is Good Luck Charlie (yes, it's on Disney, but I'm not above kids shows). It's totally the mom character.... she is a hoot and I just love her! We actually watch this show as a family and even DH loves it.

Have you seen it?

New Fragrance Find

We just celebrated our 12th anniversary, and the Mr. surprised me with the newest Coach fragrance.

Coach Poppy Flower ($65 for 1.7 ounces)

Chic. Vibrant. Whimsical. Poppy Flower mixes bright fruits with soft florals to capture the romantic side of the Coach Poppy attitude. Sparkling notes of citrus, lychee and cassis blend with water lily and jasmine petals to create an airy, lighthearted fragrance.

I love it! So light and pretty! I am super-sensitive to smells, so I am always excited when I find one I can wear without getting a headache.

What fragrance are you wearing?

First Day of School

Recently, people have been asking me if WC was ready for Kindergarten... I've been replying that yes, I think she is, but we're not sure if Kindergarten is ready for WC!

Really, today went fabulously! I had the opportunity to meet with her new teacher on Monday morning and was reassured that the school would in fact choose the right placement for our girl.

And after getting the chance to meet with P's teacher on Tuesday night, I know he is in the right place as well. Strangely, his teacher had eye issues and surgery similar to P's! When I told him that he was amazed.... he said, "She'll understand what I see!"

So we're off to a fab start! I'm enjoying see all my local friends post their first day pics today as well... these kids are growing up so fast.

Hemangioma Update

I have been getting a lot of hits and emails lately in regards to WC's hemangioma journey. I realized it's probably been over a year since I took a pic so I grabbed my camera yesterday and took a quick shot.

I am amazed at how good it's looking! I left this picture full-sized, so you are welcome to click on it to see it larger.

August 2011 - 5 1/2 years old, after two scar revision surgeries

Here's the progression of her hemangioma:

5 weeks

8 weeks

9 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

22 weeks

almost 7 months

10 1/2 months

1 year

15 months

18 months

2 years

Before first surgery in Oct 08 - 2 years and 9 months old

March 2009 - This was taken before her second surgery

June 09 - two surgeries complete


June 09 close-up

To read more about our hemangioma journey, click here.

What's Going On?

We are working on training Miss Bella, who currently runs the Sasha house. One thing I have been doing totally wrong is letting her walk me. I have been giving her the full length of the leash. After reading the above link, I now know I need to be the boss and keep her at my side on a short leash.

Excuse: I have never had a dog before! Any other tips I need to know about dogs?

I am super-excited about the Glee movie that comes out today and have plans to go see if next week. Let me know if you see it today and what you think!



I am looking forward to a glass of Barefoot Moscato after a long day today. Yes, I know it's only 11 am, I just already know it is going to be a long wine-worthy day!




I am loving Big Brother this season, but can't get over how amazingly stupid it was for Dani and Kalia to keep Rachel in the house last night. And Brendan is back? Cue yucky couple stuff. I am going to miss Lawan.... he was adorb!



And.... I'm on a classic female country kick. How about a little Charly McClain? Barbara Mandrell? Maybe some Sylvia? Ah, yes!

Jack Daniel's Honey

Has anyone tried Jack Daniel's Honey yet? I saw a recipe mixing it with lemonade and it looks like it might just quench my thirst......

New Facial Product Find

Today Shasta Ann blogged about some of her favorite products from mark, and that reminded me that I've been meaning to tell you all week about my new favorite product, also from mark.

Over the last year, I've been having trouble with breakouts on my chin and I've tried just about everything! I received a sample of mark's Break Out Plan Anti-Acne Gel Lotion with a recent order and I was immediately hooked. It was light, soaked in immediately, and left no oily residue. And it cured my breakout problem in just a few days.

With apple and cinnamon extracts, this lightweight gel formula helps reduce the appearance of redness associated with acne and keeps pores clean and clear. Salicylic acid (1.5%), a proven acne fighter

At $18 for 1.7 ounces, it's not exactly drugstore price, but to me it's well worth it. As an aside, I typically prefer a pump applicator for facial products (to keep the germies out of the rest of the product), but even though I was disappointed that this was a jar, I ordered it anyway.

And to my surprise..... it's actually a pump after all! You simply depress the plastic disk on top of the jar, and just the right amount of product comes out a small hole in the middle. If you at all have a breakout problem, I urge you to give this a try- it worked for me!

Disclosure: Although I received a small packet sample of the product to try, I purchased the full-sized product myself.

Nike Training Club App

My sister in law is a personal trainer and told me about a fabulous new ipod/ipad app she found- the Nike Training Club. One of the best features is the price- it's FREE!

Nike Training Club is a training app that gives you your own personal trainer, anytime, anywhere. Get lean, toned and strong with over 60 custom-built workouts.

Today I chose a 30 minute sweat and shape routine, since I am away from my hand weights. I was able to set my workout to an album from my itunes library (The Band Perry is what I listened to today), and the app gives you audio guidance during each exercise to keep you on track and motivated. You can also access a video demo for each drill. Overall, this simply rocks. I had just told the Mr. that I wish I had some DVDs with me so I could get a workout in since it's raining today. Then I remembered the Nike Training Club and gave it a go- and I LOVE it!

Disclosure: Nike had no clue who Sasha is, and certainly didn't compensate me for this review. I am posting just because I think it's awesome and think you will too!

Quick! Name a Song!

Because I have Eden Wood's Cutie Patootie in my head, and I NEED it to stop!





And I'm a Cutie... Cute Patootie....

arrrggggggggg

Le Makeup Routine

I truly enjoy putting on makeup! It's just so fun to go through my products and decide what to use each day. I have discovered that I am reaching for the same four items recently during this hot hot (a bazillion days in a row over 100) weather. Liquid foundation just feels icky to me right now, so I've been all about the powder foundation, and loving it.

1. Benefit Hello Flawless! powder foundation in Never Settle Petal ($34 from Sephora) applied all over with a flat-top brush

2. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Powder ($28 from Sephora) applied all over with a powder brush as a finishing powder

3. Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Baked Stardust ($30 from Sephora) applied with a skunk brush on the top of my cheekbones

4. Benefit Dandelion ($28 from Sephora) applied with a blush brush to the apples of my cheeks

What face products are you loving right now?

We Pink Puffy Heart Domino's

Growing up, I absolutely hated Domino's Pizza. It tasted very cardboard-y to me, and I just plain didn't like it.

But have you had their new and improved "Hand Tossed" crust? It's delightful! It's a garlic-seasoned crust with a rich, buttery taste. We absolutely love it. The kids are all about Alfredo sauce pizzas right now, and I happen to like them too. My other fave is BBQ Chicken.

I just placed an order for two large pizzas and an order of cinnamon sticks for.... wait for it.... $14!

I found two fabulous codes on www.retailmenot.com that I used. Here's the breakdown:

At the top of the website, click on "coupons" and then "enter code". First enter EBFP and that will get you BOGO free pizzas. After you have selected your pizzas, go to "coupons" and "enter code" again and enter EBCS for your free cinnamon sticks.

The other fabulous thing is that their website allows you to continue to surf the web, all while watching the Domino's Tracker at the top of your webpage! Whoops- looks like ours is ready- gotta go!

Disclosure: I was not at all compensated for this post, and Domino's has no clue who I am, other than good ole James fixing my pizzas for me tonight. I uses codes I found online and am paying like everyone else!

Our Story Is Published!

Last October, Will's Sensory Processing Disorder story was featured on Hartley's Life With Three Boys as she shared 30 SPD stories in 30 days.

I was so excited when Hartley contacted me this spring to let me know she would be publishing the stories in a book and would like to include mine! Sensational Journeys will be released on September 1 and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com for about $10.00.

A copy of the book is on it's way to me and I can't wait to see our story in print! Please spread the word if you know of a family affected by SPD.... it's wonderful to be able to read stories of others who are going through the same things as you.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon referral link. Please note that I was not compensated for the submission of our story for this book.

Working on My "Laminated List"

I'm busy multi-slacking today... working on my "Laminated List" a la Friends.

Thoughts on who my #5 should be?????

Two things, of varying importance

Last week they did hip-hop lessons all week at P's summer program, and yesterday morning was the "Flash Mob" show. Totally cute and he did a great job, and obv had fun, per the look on his face above. What a ham.

In other news, I was considering growing out my bangs a bit, and wearing them swooped to the side, but I have a cow lick I normally tame down with the blow dryer. Without the cowlick taming, I suddenly resemble Larry Birkhead, which I don't think is a good thing......

Summer of Beer 2011

The Summer of Beer has long been a topic around here, and it's time to revisit it.

Because I need to tell you something NOT to buy.

Sadly, MGD 64 Lemonade is just not good. In fact, it's very non-beer, and not nearly lemonade-y enough, if that makes sense. I suggest picking up Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy instead, and even though it has 130 calories, it's 130 calories of good...... In fact, I believe I'll be asking Mr. Sasha to stop by the liquor store and get me some today.



Anything new I need to try for Summer of Beer 2011?

Nancy Drew Obsession

In elementary school, I was a ferocious reader. I devoured books! Luckily, my mom had saved all her Nancy Drew hardbacks from her childhood, and completed the series for me. She recently brought them up to me to put on our bookshelves. I have all 56 and a few other books- a cookbook and a sleuthing book. (Don't call Hoarders on me, please!)

So I think reading all those Nancy Drew books instilled a passion for mystery stories in me. And so I guess that's what led me to get so involved in following True Crime. It's amazing to me the depth of mental illness people can have to make them commit these crimes....

I found out I was pregnant with P right after Christmas of 2002, just about the time Laci Peterson went missing. I was absolutely obsessed with following this case. I watched the specials where he was interviewed, read all the news stories.

I could go on and on about the stories I have followed (Julie Keown for example) but this past week I have just been obsessed in reading about Lauren Spierer's disappearance. There are quite a few websites out there with information that is not being reported in the news.... it's such a sad story and I hope for her family's sake they find some answers.

Have you been following?