Saturday, March 29, 2014

Organizing Those Loyalty Cards

For years I've been using two card holders from Real Simple to organize my loyalty/membership cards. I got these at Target years ago.
 

Above is a pic of the only still living one- you can see it has definitely seen better days. My red one bit the dust last week. I checked Target and they don't seem to carry them anymore. So I turned to the place I turn when I need basically anything..... Amazon!

I found the kilofly Credit Card Holder on Amazon for just $10 and decided to order it. It arrived yesterday and it is absolutely perfect! This particular style is available in a few other colors, and there are other styles by this brand as well.


Here's a pic showing my cards inside- surely you knew that my Sephora Beauty Insider was one of my most important cards, right? If your purse is a mess of unorganized cards, I'd definitely recommend this!

#afflink


Monday, March 24, 2014

Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line


I cannot tell you how excited I am about the Veronica Mars book, Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, coming out tomorrow- Kristen Bell is narrating the audiobook! I am going for a long run in the AM to listen to as much as I can!

Have you tried Audible? I have been using it for over and year and LOVE the app for my iphone. So easy to stop and start and it remembers your place! So easy.



#afflinks

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Summer Fun

This will be the first summer that I'm not working full-time, and I'm busy planning some summer activities to keep us busy and away from the TV and electronics. Today I'll feature some Season Pass information for the Norman, Oklahoma area, along with a few from surrounding cities worth the drive.

1. Andy Alligator's Water Park. Through April 30, seasons passes are $80 per person.

The $4.2 million-dollar park features a variety of attractions including a lazy river, double tube slide, the first four-lane mat racer in Oklahoma, an 800-gallon bucket of water that will be regularly dumped on kids. (from the Moore Daily)



2. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. A family membership is $45 and includes complimentary admission for two adults & children (or grandchildren) in the family under age 18.

From their website: Through world-class exhibits, educational programming for children and adults, public programs, special exhibitions and outreach, the museum brings Oklahoma to the world, and the world to Oklahoma, in a manner that is entertaining and accessible for visitors of all ages and all walks of life.


3. Oklahoma City Zoo. A Family membership is $65 and admits two adults (one adult named on card must be present) and up to five children ages 3-18 years old. A $5 discount is offered through March 31. This could be easily split between two families.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is a zoo and botanical garden located in Oklahoma City's Adventure District in northeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The zoo covers 119 acres and is home to more than 1,800 animals. (from Wikipedia)


4. Science Museum Oklahoma. A Silver membership is $115 and is shared by 6 people- great to split between families. You can even add two additional people on the pass for $30 each.

You can also upgrade your membership to an Oklahoma Museum Network Affiliate Membership for $40 and get general admission for any 5 people to the OMN Partner museums: Science Museum Oklahoma, Jasmine Moran Childrens Museum: Seminole, Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse: Enid, Museum of the Great Plains: Lawton.

Note: Old schoolies like me still call this the Omniplex.

From their website: Science Museum Oklahoma is a hands on learning environment for families and general science enthusiasts.


5. Earlywine Family Aquatic Center. Season passes for a family of 4 is $150, and $35 for each additional family member.

From their website: Earlywine Family Aquatic Center integrates a beach-like pool entry with the excitement of high-energy water toys, super tube slides, swimming lanes and twelve gently bubbling geysers.


6. Star Skate. A summer pass is $5 and entitles you to skate for only $3 at their skate sessions. During the summer they have afternoon sessions on Thursdays and Fridays.


7. Kids Bowl Free at Sooner Bowling Center. By signing up, your kids can bowl 2 games free all summer long, M-F. Shoe rental is not included and is $3. You can also purchase a Family season pass for $25 so that you can bowl 2 games per day with your kiddos.

Let me know if there are things that I have missed! I'll do a post on camps and other fun programs soon so feel free to leave me info on those too.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Movies Movies Movies!

I don't think I have purchased so many movie tickets in such a short time, like ever, but there have been so many good movie come out recently!
 
 
First, I am a big Marshmallow and love love love me some Veronica Mars. OF COURSE I had tickets to see The Veronica Mars Movie on the release night! It did not disappoint....... it was Epic I will say, and if you are a VM fan, that might be a little spoiler for you.
 

And Divergent, oh Divergent. I might just see it twice this weekend! Cannot wait. Yes, Theo James is my new fake boyfriend.

 
I have also seen The LEGO Movie twice in the last few weeks and loved it both times. So many things for kids and adults to enjoy! We will definitely be adding this one to our collection when it comes out on DVD.
 
 
Frozen was such a delight, and both my 10 year old son and 8 year old daughter LOVED it. I did have to find the poster featuring Olaf for this post- love that character! I'll be purchasing this one this week, I think at Target since they have some bonus features on their $20 DVD/Blu-ray combo.
 
 
 
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire recently arrived at my house and I can't wait to watch it again with the Mr. I saw it twice at the theatre and am looking forward to seeing it again.

What movies have you seen recently that I need to check out?

#afflinks

Friday, March 7, 2014

Five Friday Things

1. Wednesday night I made a recipe I had pinned - Crockpot Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken from TheFrugalGirls.com - and every single member of my family loved it! It's basically just chicken and these two yummy ingredients:
 


2. Have you seen Jimmy Fallon, Idina Menzel and The Roots singing "Let It Go" with classroom instruments? Genius. Love when he does these!



3. I have been laughing all week about this pic that went around Facebook last week among my fellow Okies.


4. BASEBALL STARTS NEXT WEEK! Yay! Go Mudcats! Luckily it's one of Will's favorite sports too! I'm ready to wear my new Mudcats hat.


5. Spring TV is SO GOOD! Mr. Sasha and I are so glad our three faves are back on! Nashville, Scandal and Dallas!


Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

10 Makeup Products I'd Repurchase: Updated



I thought I'd update a tag I did in 2012. The question is, if you lost all your makeup (stolen, luggage lost etc), what 10 products would you re-purchase? Some of my answers are still the same, some have changed.

1. Foundation: Urban Decay Naked in Shade 3 - $39. I know this is a high price-point, but I love it! I reach for it pretty much every day, even though I have about 20 to choose from. The bottle I have has lasted me for probably a year at least.

2. Powder: ELF HD Powder - $6. We have discussed before how this is a dupe for MUFE HD Powder, which costs $30.

3. Blush: ELF Blush in Pink Passion - $3. Great pigmentation for a great price.

4. Eye shadow primer: Too Faced Eye Shadow Insurance in Candlelight - $18. It's a splurge, but it lasts FOREVER- I have used it everyday for about a year and am just now getting low.

5.  Eye shadow: L'Oreal The One Sweep Eye Shadow in Natural Blue Eyes - $10. Although I hated the idea behind this product and it did not work they way it was intended, I have found that I LOVE the cream and brown shades in this and I love using them individually with my eye shadow brushes.

6. Eyeliner: Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum in Deep Brown - $11. I love love love this liner- it's so easy to get a nice straight line and even to do a bit of a cat eye with this liner.

7.  Mascara:  CoverGirl Clump Crusher in Very Black - $6. I think I've been using this for about a year and now consider it my HG. I have found that it works great as a topper over about any mascara. There's something about using two mascaras that gives a fabulous effect.

8.  Lippie: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick - $9. I have a large container of lippies, yet I reach for this most days.

9.  Brushes: e.l.f. Studio 11 Piece Brush Collecion - $30, but you can often get it for 50% off. This is a fabulous set to start with.

10. For my 10th item, I'd add one of e.l.f.'s $3 stipple brushes to use with highly pigmented blushes- it gives a nice blended look.

I tag YOU! I'd love to see what you'd repurchase!

Friday, February 28, 2014

J'Adore VoxBox and Peanut Butter Blossoms

 
I was excited to be chose to receive the J'Adore VoxBox from Influenster! There was some really fun stuff in there, but I bet you know what my favorite was..... the Hershey Kisses! I knew I could make my family very very happy by making them their favorite treat, Peanut Butter Blossoms!
 
If you haven't made them before, they are super easy!
 

You just need a peanut butter cookie mix (note that I did NOT use the snack size because I knew my family would be hungrier than that!) prepared based on the ingredients on the back. Create 1 inch balls and bake as directed. Some people roll them in sugar before they bake them, but it's no necessary- they are sweet enough as is.


Right when you take them out of the oven, be ready to press down an unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the middle of each cookie.


Here's my final product! Of course they were eaten super-fast. Next time I'm going to use a gluten free cookie recipe so I can join in too.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Reading Material

I absolutely love to read, but over the past few years haven't found much time to enjoy that hobby. I've been trying to read a bit before bed each night and am really enjoying getting back into it.
 
Here's a few books on my nightstand:
 
 
I enjoyed Melanie Shankle's Sparkly Green Earrings, so I was sure I'd love this one too. Excited to get started on it.
 
Last week I listened to a recorded Proverbs 31 call with Abby Rike, a former Biggest Loser contestant, and knew instantly I needed to read her book. What an amazing girl Abby is!
  
 
I know I'm behind the times, but I've been watching Jon & Kate Plus Eight on my Amazon Prime and wanted to know a bit of the back story on them. I know there is quite a bit of drama on down the road, but I'm still watching the first few seasons and those kids are so darn cute!
 
 Stress Free Kids: A Parent's Guide to Helping Build Self-Esteem, Manage Stress, and Reduce Anxiety in Children

And I'm *almost* done with this one, sent to me for review. Expect a review soon- I am really getting a lot of good info from this book!

From Amazon.com: Kids today are more stressed, overwhelmed, and struggling with anxiety than ever before. Children are not born with the coping strategies needed to navigate today's increasing demands of technology, bullying, academics, and family dynamics. You yourself might wonder how your own stressed-out lifestyle is affecting your children. Based on Lori Lite's award-winning series, Stress Free Kids provides relaxation techniques you can use to free your child from stress.


What are you reading?

Friday, February 21, 2014

Friday Update

Just a few updates on this beautiful Friday! We have a fun weekend planned and I am so looking forward to it. Tonight we are going to dinner with some friends while our kids attend Parents Night Out at our church. Reese and I have some booth sales planned with our Girl Scout troop, and Sunday night is our kick-off meeting for VBS leaders- I'm excited to hear what our theme will be this year and ready to get started planning.
 
 

1. Reese and I are ready for March and a new calendar page! This vulture was Mr. February on our Zoo Friends calendar and while I think all animals are beautiful and a gift from God, I have to admit his pic gives me a fright every time I go in her room! Ha!


2. Since I'm home now during the day, I'm obviously using our home computer much more. The set-up we had was slow and old so Mr. Sasha set this up for me last night and I am so glad to have 2 monitors again! I was so spoiled having this at work. You really don't realize how handy it is until you don't have it anymore! I'm hoping to making a trip down to IKEA next month and find a new desk. I love IKEA but hate that it is 3 hours away!


3. The amount of Legos that Will has is out.of.control. I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm thinking of putting up a shelving system on the wall in his room to store all these. Thoughts? IKEA?  He doesn't want to take them apart- he loves setting up battles and boy stuff like that with the completed sets.


4. If you are a fan of YA dystopian fiction (Hunger Games, Divergent etc) and you haven't discovered the Legend Trilogy , STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING and dive in. I think most people agree that the conclusion of the Divergent trilogy left something to be desired...... but I finished the last Legend audiobook last night and it was divine! Such a good book!

Hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend!