Maria's Space: October 2010

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Mellow Yellow Monday -

During our farm outing the kids had some really bad face painting done. They loved it.

Look at how happy he is to have a pretty pathetic painting of a candy corn.

Blue Monday - Heaven Hill

This weeks Blue Monday brings some Farm cutouts. I love taking pictures of the kids in these. My niece joined us on this trip, and if course, she was memorialized forever.

Shutterday - Close To You

When you have kids, close to you is easy to get. My kids are always crowding me and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is Goddess getting the shot.

Here is Handsome consoling a friend after a loss. Love it!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Painted Hands

I didn't plan on this shadow shot. Goddess was showing me her outstretched newly painted Piggy Paint nails. It was only now that as I was searching for a shadow shot that a perfect shadow was spotted.

Monochrome Maniacs - The Water Tower

I am honored to be on the Monochrome Maniacs Weekend in Black and White Wall this week. The wood carving has a lot of detail in black in white and great texture.

This week I almost went with a wagon wheel from my trip to the Farm with the kids from last week. Instead I went with the water tower for the mining section. I like the way the clouds look.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Self Portrait Sunday - October 31, 2010

Self Portrait Sunday is for you to post your photos of well....you. Come on, smile for the camera. You know you want to.

The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide Review

What I Can Tell You:
I love looking at tattoos, so when this book come up for review through Harper Collins, I was excited to get it. Right before I received it in the mail a girlfriend mentioned the book to me. She wanted to get it, she was putting it in her Christmas list. It seems that book lovers have taken to putting the written word on their bodies. Whether it is a word, a phrase, a paragraph or sometimes an entire page from a book, readers are memorializing their favorites permanently.

The book is full of color photos of some amazing work right down to the picture and font used. There is a great assortment and some very inspiring pieces. Literally Tattoos has totally made me rethink my personal tattoo thoughts. Since I was 18 I have wanted a tattoo and at 25 actually went to a tattoo artists with picture in hand. Fortunately the guys wife went into labor and the tat never happened. Loved it at the time, but now I feel it would have been a mistake.

I really enjoyed looking at the 100 full color photos and even thinking about the books which inspired some pieces. My to read list has just gotten larger.

Rock Yourself To Sleep With This Giveaway

Last week I was offered the chance to try out the coolest pillow ever. Sound Asleep comfort pillow has a built in speaker so that you can head into dreamland listening to your favorite tunes or listen to the TV without disturbing the slumbering partner in your bed.

Company Overview:

Ellery Homestyles specializes in the production and distribution of branded and private label home fashion products. The Company, which traces its roots back to 1924, designs and produces window curtains, bedding, decorative pillows, blankets, throws and specialty products. Featured brands include Waverly bedding, Eclipse™ blackout energy-saving curtains, Comfort Tech Thinsulate 3M blankets & throws, Colonial Williamsburg bedding, William & Mary bedding and Sound Asleep™.

Ellery is the exclusive distributor in the US for the NEW Sound Asleep™ Comfort Pillow. It's perfect for all ages!

Adults will love listening to music, relaxing sounds & audio books or learning a foreign language while relaxing. Kids will enjoy listening to their favorite music or television shows at bedtime. You can even take it with you when you travel and the best part is the sound is contained within the pillow and will not disturb anyone else around you. The speaker is buried deep within the comfort fill for the ultimate comfort experience!

Product Features:

Built-in speaker

Detachable 46" stereo cable

Connects to iPods, MP3 players, smart phones, radios & TV's

Standard 20x26"

White 100% cotton cover

Hypoallergenic poly fill

No batteries needed

What I Can Tell You:

I don't have an iPod but I do have a Sirius Satellite radio, mp3 player that I plugged into the pillow. I switched my radio to Twilight: The Score. It instantly came through my pillow. I shut the light and listened to Bella's Lullaby. Very relaxing and I felt the sudden urge to re-watch Twilight (I'm proud to say, it's been over 11 months since I watched Twilight).

Now for the real test, call in the kids, one at a time. Handsome was in his room watching his beloved Blue's Clues (7 years and counting). I asked him to lie down as I searched for his favorite song. He said, "I don't want to lie down." I said, "Lie down" and put the song on. He smiled and got under my cover. When the song was over, he said, "again!" I put it on for him and headed to my daughter's room asking her to come in when she had a moment. She came in and I put on Taylor Swift. "Ahhhh...how is that happening? How is the music coming out of the pillow?" After answering her million questions and playing three Taylor songs and a Gretchen Wilson she headed back to her room for bed.

The next morning she woke with a fever. I put her on the couch and put the blanket over her as I headed into the kitchen for the thermometer and Tylenol. "Mom, can you get me your pillow so I can listen to music?" 100 degree temp and all she wanted was the Sound Asleep pillow.

I have used the pillow every day since I got it and believe this is a great gift idea for the anyone on your list over 6. I would be afraid to let me little ones sleep with it because of the cord but it really is a great product and very reasonably priced and can be purchased online at: Amazon, CVS and Linens and Things. You can also buy it Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Check out the fun video

The awesome folks at Sound Asleep have offered to give one of my readers the chance to check out this innovative product for themselves.

The Giveaway: 1 Winner will receive a Sound Asleep Comfort Pillow with Built In Speakers

The Sponsor: Sound Asleep

To Win: "Like" Sound Asleep on Facebook and leave a message on their wall linking to this contest or state that you are from @Maria's Space by midnight November 14, 2010

For Extra Entries:

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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary pillow from Sound Asleep. They are also providing the giveaway.

Piggy Paint Makes Goddess Smile + A Giveaway

Goddess has never had her nail painted until this week. At 5 I know that all of her friends have had this done and she has commented "my mom doesn't allow me to paint my nails" in the past. I just felt that there was plenty of time and that little girls grow up way to fast. She always notices someone's nails and while I think it is adorable when I see little girls nails painted, the toxins in polish and how long it takes for them to dry has been a deterrent in actually going for it.

Piggy Paint

Piggy Paint™ Nail Polish is: -Non-toxic -Odorless -Water-based formula -Hypoallergenic -Fun, vibrant colors -Dries to a hard, durable finish Piggy Paint™ is specially formulated from God’s natural ingredients and dries to a hard, durable finish. There are no toxic chemicals; it’s free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone

The beginning of the week I received a package from Piggy Paint. I have heard of Piggy Paint and was very curious as to how it could be "kid-friendly". Would it dry in enough time before Goddess got bored? Would it not stain her perfect, pink nail beds?

The package was delivered as I was running out to pick up the kids from school. I was 20 minutes early and pulled out a book to read. Suddenly I remembered the polish in my bag.

I put it on my left hand first than the right praying it would dry before I had to get out of the car! It did. When we got home, I told Goddess, let's wash your hands and I have a surprise for you.

We sat down and I took out the polish. She looked at me with all the innocence of a child and squealed "you're painting my nails?" I said yes and started the first nail. She smiled and shock her legs the whole time. I wish I had someone video taping us. She was beyond excited. The pink polish was perfect. I did her fingernails and toenails. We headed to the bathroom and I got the hair dryer out. Before I could even get it plugged in, the polish was dry.

There was no strong, toxic smell and the polish dried beyond fast!

We plan on getting two more colors (blue and purple) for her stocking for Christmas this year and I know she will be very happy.

Piggy Paint is the perfect introduction for the first time nail polish and I see no reason to use another from here on out.

Piggy Paint has graciously afforded one of my readers a chance to try out Piggy Paint for themselves. If you would love to try out Piggy Paint, now is the perfect time, with 10% off until December 31, 2010 - Use code SPACE10L

The Giveaway: 1 Winner will receive a $15 gift code to use at Piggy Paint

The Sponsor: Piggy Paint

To Win: Head to Piggy Paint and leave me a comment telling me how you would use the gift code by midnight November 13, 2010

For Extra Entries:

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Friday, October 29, 2010

I Am Tired Of Holding My Coffee Cup

Seriously, how odd to have to sit on the couch without a place to put my cup. When we had our children, we decided to do away with out contemporary coffee tables. It just seemed like a place for our babies to hurt themselves against and it took up too much space in a room where the baby spent half their day.

Now that the kids are older, a place to hold our remote controls, water cups, coffee cups and more sounds like a great addition to our living room.

My husband and I sit on the couch at night with our lap tops on our laps and ask the other to hold ours if we have to get up. If we had a contemporary coffee table, this would not be necessary.

It has storage and it lifts up! Plus, it is a top seller. Must be a pretty special contemporary coffee tables for everyone to be buying it.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Last Day - Doubt I have A Shot but What The Heck?!

It's the last day for votes to be counted for The Big Hit.

The votes are being counted and the winners will be contacted tomorrow morning. My recipe of Breakfast Pizza really didn't get that many votes but I am still hopeful. There are a bunch of bloggers in the contest and we all want to win.

Here are pictures of my Breakfast Pizza starring the Mr. Avocado!

If this is a recipe you feel should win, please by all means, vote for me.

Thanks to anyone who has voted for me. It has been a stressful month and I have done a lot of wishful thinking. Tomorrow we will know and no matter who it is, it was a lot of fun.

You Capture - Autumn

I have been taking tons of photos this month. This is my favorite time of year and I know the world for me is about to turn very black and white for the next four months so I have been trying to hold onto color.

Sepia Scenes

Took some photos for a friend this week. Saw this awesome stone building with ivy and an really cool window grill.

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

What I Can Tell You:

I thoroughly enjoyed The Love Goddess' Cooking School. Holly was a great character and I loved how her Nana's (I called my grandma that too) diaries helped complete the story. Each character takes on a personality at the hand of Melissa Senate and you find yourself cheering for each one as they shield their skeletons and move on with the help of food. Most of us know, or can recall a time, or even many times when food helped us cope, heal, share and deal with moments that may have caused us stress. I appreciated the simplicity of the story and how mature Holly became as the story progressed. In the beginning I wasn't sure if Holly was going to be a character I liked. After her initial breakup she seemed immature, unsure, lost, and alone, her transformation made the story and I rooted for her the whole way.

Somewhere Along The Way by Jodi Thomas + Guest Post by Jodi- Review and Giveaway

Back in May, I reviewed Welcome To Harmony by Jodi Thomas.

Somewhere Along The Way is book two of the series and brings us 2 years into the future. This is Jodi Thomas' 30th book and it hits the shelf next week on, November 2, 2010.

Product Description

Second in the trilogy that's captured America's heart.

Now almost eighteen years old, Reagan Trent moved to Harmony, Texas two years ago after hearing elderly nursing home resident Beverly Truman’s stories about her hometown. There she found a home and a purpose to help other residents; as she was Welcome to Harmony even after her identity was discovered by “Uncle” Jeremiah Truman.

Loner Gabe Leary recovering from injuries suffered in an explosion saves Reagan’s life so she will do anything for him except leave him alone, which is all the man insists he wants. Lawyer Liz Matheson is attracted to Gabe, who conceals his pre explosion life. Reagan would like to hook up these two deserving souls. Finally there are her two best friends, Noah McAllen and Brandon, who each want more from her than friendship. However, Reagan’s co-worker at the Blue Moon Diner Edith and her abusive husband place Reagan in jeopardy as they did when she was first welcomed to town at the same her beloved Uncle Jeremiah needs his great-niece.

What I Can Tell You: The book can stand on its own but you really should read Welcome to Harmony first so you know the characters, as it is a character drive story. I love Reagen who has grown to really love being part of her town. She is family now and people in Harmony really care about each other. There are quite a few characters here and you will grow to love all but one. This book had me waiting for the Gabe and Liz scenes. My desire to know more about Gabe and who he was, consumed me and kept me reading. That, and beside the fact that the characters are amazing and the dialogue is beautifully written.

When Reagen's life is put in jeopardy, I was angry which I am sure a lot of readers will be. She has been through enough and she did nothing wrong. Poor Reagen! She has been to hell and back. My dream is for her to have a beautiful life, with her own business and a family.

Hopefully in book 3, we find out why Kate has been so elusive to Tyler. Poor dude is just waiting and writing by email yet she doesn't respond until page 349. If she stands him up I will be devastated. Please, Jodi...don't make Tyler suffer any more. He is a dedicated guy with a difficult, lonely job.

Check out the awesome book trailer. I love the soundtrack.

GUEST POST FROM JODI (she is happy to be here again!)

Hello from Texas. I’m happy to stop by and visit with everyone this morning. After twenty years as a writer, this is my 30^th novel and what I believe shows my best writing. A few years ago I began a series about a small town I set in Texas. Harmony is the kind of place we all think would be a nice place to live.

The people of Harmony will warm your heart and I hope they’ll be so real you send them a Christmas card. J

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY is a story about a small Texas town where the people know and care about one another. From the mysterious Gabe Leary who tries to remain unnoticed because he fears someone from his past is hunting him, to the wild Liz Matheson who is trying to straighten her life out and matter, you’ll enjoy the journey.

Readers will see the story through the eyes of a teenager named Reagan who settled in as part of this town she loves and Tyler, the funeral director. You’ll fall in love and laugh at Gabe and Liz as they find love. My characters are not super heroes with magic powers, they are ordinary people living their lives, helping others and sometimes finding a love worth keeping.

Thanks for letting me drop by and thank you for reading. Writing is a fascinating journey, but if it wasn’t for readers coming along with me it wouldn’t be any fun.

Jodi Thomas

www.jodithomas.com

The Giveaway: 1 Winner will receive a copy of Somewhere Along The Way.

The Sponsor: Jodi Thomas and Penguin Group

To Win: Leave me a comment by midnight November 11, 2010

For Extra Entries:

*Blog about this, and leave me the link for (3 extra entries) (each entry must be separate)

*Subscribe to my newsletter/email (3 entries) (each entry must be separate)

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*Enter another giveaway on my blog and let me know which one.
*Comment on a non-giveaway post and tell me which one.
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Do not leave entries in the comment section,

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Put the Baby To Sleep and Enjoy Some Music Too With Cradle Rock Lullabies -

We have always used music at night for Handsome. He is still listening to the same CD he listened to before he was even born. I was that mom, you know the one; I wanted him to be calm and experience my world before he was even here. Every night, I would come home from work and lie down with the headphones on my belly. At the time it was Piano By Candlelight. Then after my baby shower, it was a Baby Einstein Classical CD. He still listens to it. Nightly he shuts off the TV and turns on his music. Most nights he is asleep before it ends but if not, he asks us to restart it. 7 years of hearing the same music and he still loves it. We on the other hand, want it as low as possible. We think it's sweet but after 7 years....well....you can imagine.

What I Can Tell You:

I listened to the music while doing some posts, email and dishes. It is the songs I know and love but done to relaxing and soothing lullabies Babies and their parents will love these CD's and look at those covers; who wouldn't love them!?

Don't have kids? Don't worry. Put a CD in your player and sleep like a baby to the sounds of your favorite artists.

There are more titles scheduled like The Black Eyed Peas, Carrie Underwood, U2, Pink Floyd and more. Personally, I would love to hear some Kid Rock, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Pat Benetar.

Memory Rewind - Happy Halloween 2005

Here is your chance to use some of those older photos you have on your computer that you may have forgotten about. Post a photo and write a story about it.

Join me and bring back a memory.
This is My Life As A Precocious Toddler which I used to write back in the day in Handsome's voice. Just a way to cope as a mom home 24/7.

Tonight Mom woke me to go trick-o-treating. I was sleeping on the couch (nice late nap) and she started changing me into my costume. I opened my eyes and she was smiling down at me asking if I wanted to go outside. Hello no women! I am sleeping can't you see? She proceeded with the unwanted change of attire and the next thing I know I am in a Superman costume, sneakers are on and she is ushering me to the door. I start to loudly protest and Dad comes the rescue. He lifts me up, gets me some milk and we are out the door. They were in such a hurry that they let me leave with my pacifier. Note to self...protest = pacifier. Niiice!

Dad tries to put me down and I yell. He lifts me up again and we meet up with 20+ people at the end of our driveway. We filter into the group and start walking. Some nice women says, "Hi Jesse" but I yell and turn my head into Dad's shoulder. I didn't ask to be here lady. Dad tries to take me to someone's door, all the kids are going but I don't want to so he doesn't force it. Smart man.

Dad carries me around for a while and then mom hands me a piece of chocolate. Ok..I'll take that.

My sister starts crying and Dad carries her and holds my hand. All in all it was a good night. I was with my family and they seemed happy. I bet it has something to do with all that candy Mom is carrying around in the back of the carriage. I hope they let me have some.

Here is the Post from Goddess in Training which was, well...Goddess' blog
Happy Halloween
Tonight I went trick-o-treating for the first time. It was fun for a while to look at all the kids running and laughing then it got really dark. Mom was pushing me in a carriage and when I started crying Dad carried me. He is such a sucker! My Brother was Superman but he should have dressed as a baby. He didn't want to walk and Dad had to carry him the whole time. He also wouldn't give up his pacifier or go to anyone's house. If I could walk I would show him how it is done.

My parents made me wear the same costume that my brother wore on his first halloween. They had a good laugh telling everyone that I was a true devil. Real funny Mom and Dad.

Can you tell which picture is me?

Equip Them Well - Protect Your Child From MRSA

Now that my son is involved in a sport, I am very interested in the potential dangers involved beside the obvious physical injuries. Before this campaign through One2One Network, I was unaware of the potential Staph infections through sports equipment. I mean really, who would have thought it? But why didn't I think of it? Of course I know that germs are spread through contact, it just never occurred to me that my son could catch something unless someone sneezed on him during a game.

Have you ever heard of MRSA?
No? Neither have I.

MRSA is a skin infection. Not only a skin infection, but a potentially life threatening antibiotic resistant Staph infection!

The Stop MRSA Now Coalition, in partnership with The Clorox Company and SwapMeSports.com, has teamed up with Grant Hill to launch Equip them Well, a program to help teach families and sports teams about practical MRSA prevention steps, such as washing hands and disinfecting equipment with a bleach solution.

Protect Your Active Kids from MRSA

With fall sports in full swing, equipment cleanliness and item-sharing on and off the field may get overlooked between carpools, homework and bedtime.

MRSA's are the cause of 56 percent of all infectious disease outbreaks in competitive sports in the U.S.

It’s important that as parents and coaches we do our part to help prevent the spread of MRSA. You can begin by getting involved in the Equip them Well program through three simple steps – collect, disinfect, donate.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

DVR Alert - OPRAH Reunites The Cast From The Sound Of Music

I believe my girlfriend Clarissa has to be the last adult over 30 to have not seen The Sound Of Music. Most of us in our 40's grew up watching this movie once a year. We wanted a big family. We wanted to sing. We wanted to be Liesl, Gretl, Brigitta or even Maria.

This Friday, Oprah will reunite, for the first time in nearly half a century, the cast of The Sound Of Music for their 45th Anniversary.

I will be there, in front of my TV, waiting for Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, along with fellow cast members Charmian Carr (“Liesl”), Nicholas Hammond (“Friedrich”), Heather Menzies-Urich (“Louisa”), Duane Chase (“Kurt”), Angela Cartwright (“Brigitta”), Debbie Turner (“Marta”) and Kym Karath (“Gretl”) to reunite and reveal the stories behind one of the world’s most beloved movie musicals. The cast will share secrets from the set, reminiscences about their time together and what their lives have been like in the years since the movie was released. Finally, the von Trapp Children – a singing group featuring members of the real von Trapp family – pay their own special tribute to the film that made their family name known throughout the world.

The soundtrack CD is one of the best selling soundtracks of all time, having gone Platinum more than 12 times. Its landmark score includes some of the most beloved songs in the American songbook including “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Do Re Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” and the title song.

I can sing each and every song and most lines from the movie. (Clary, I will get you to watch this movie!)

This is the perfect Christmas gift for the die hard Sound of Music fan.

CELEBRATE THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF ONE OF CINEMATIC’S GREATEST TREASURES DIGITALLY RESTORED AND RE-MASTERED IN STUNNING BLU-RAY HIGH DEFINITION

Limited Edition Collector’s Set of “Favorite Things” Debuts November 2 Including an Exclusive Hand Painted Music Box, 100-Page Scrapbook, 45th Anniversary Soundtrack and More!

Also available in 3-Disc Blu-ray and DVD Combo Packs- Pre-order on Amazon below.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, I received this information to pass onto my readers.

ABC Wednesday - O

This week ABC Wednesday is hosting "O"

O = Observe
This past weekend, my niece and I headed out with the kids to a farm. There is a Mining for gem section which we stood near waiting for the farm to open. My son sat there watching for 10 minutes. His only question: Do you think this is mud?

Goddess wondered over for a second and came back with 5 questions about the water and 2 about the soil. Too funny.

O = Old-Fashioned
I could have taken pictures of this old-fashioned wagon all day.

O = Operator
We took a round trip hayride and I grabbed a photo of the Tractor Operators. (Mine is in the mirror and the other one was coming down the track.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Ruby Tuesday - A Walk At The Farm

Head over to Ruby Tuesday for more red pictures
This weekend my niece came up for a trip to a local farm. There was tons of red found there.

Here is Handsome checking out some Indian Corn