The HP Pavilion Convertible Is Perfect For Back To School! - Great Price TOO At Only $479.99

The HP Pavilion is easy to start up. I followed the quick start paper and was connected to the internet and running 15 minutes after taking it out of the box.

This is a perfect size computer. Whether staying home or taking to go this convertible touch screen is remarkable. The computer screen is a little over 13 inches about the size of a tablet. The convertible movement of this computer makes using it for gaming, viewing and reading completely customizable.

This laptop works in 4 different modes:

• Tent
• Stand
• Notebook
• Tablet

The laptop weighs only over 3.71 lbs and has a humungous hard drive (500GB) and a 6 hour battery. Perfect for on the go.

Find Out What Happened To The Youngest Dollanganger In Secret Brother

The 411:

I have been sitting on this book for a few months and finally got a chance to read it. I loved every single page. 

In this version we find what really happened to Cory Dollanganger after he was taken from the attic.

While Clara Sue's brother Willie was dying, someone had dropped a little boy off at the hospital. He was poisoned and just left there. He has no family and doesn't remember anything. While Clara tries to come to grips that her beloved little brother is gone, her Grandpa has decided to take over the care of this little unknown who has no one.

What a fantastic read. While I read other reviews who had a problem with the fact that the story focuses on Clara and not the story of the Dollanganger's I loved the fact that they are not re-writing a story written by a beloved author. Having Cory or Count Piro as a secondary character is perfect. This book stands on it's own for those who have never read any of the Flower in the Attic Books/Dollanganger series. 

It is a story about a girl with deep loss and the many lessons she learns about herself and the people around her. It is a coming of age story that I can't wait to pass over to my niece to read.

It's A Beautiful Morning, Let Some Fresh Air In With A #magneticscreendoor

The past three weeks I wake at 4:30 a.m. with my husband's alarm. It is at this time I open the doors and air out the house. Having central air on all day for weeks is great but there is nothing like some fresh air once in a while.

Usually I open the front door and the screen door and this create a cross draft until around 10 a.m. where the house starts reaching temps of 79 and I quickly close it all and turn the air back on.

Over the past two weeks I have also opened my kitchen door thanks to the magnetic screen door by Zume. I have seen them for forever and always wondered how it worked.  We don't have a screen door on the kitchen so I hate when it gets opened. We live in the woods which means loads of flying bugs.

The screen came in and I was waiting for my husband to put it up. After three days I decided let me give this a try. So happy I did. The screen has velcro strips in various locations. It also comes with a bag of velcro strips. The directions call for you to attach velcro to the ones already on there with the tape side sticking out.

Laying the screen on my kitchen floor, Goddess and I took a few and started placing them around the screen.

The I grabbed a step stool, got to the door and started placing and peeling the strips off the tape which allows the screen to hang from my door frame. It was so easy. The screen also comes with a box of black thumb tacks which I also added to enforce at the top.

We took our first step through waiting to see if the screen will automatically close behind us and it does. We were shocked. The hardest part is to enter the screen you do need to open it with your fingers. I guess I could head butt it and see if it separates to allow me through but I wouldn't want it to fall down eventually. So right now we are taking our fingers and separating the magnetic opening.

Nothing like fresh air and knowing the screen is keeping out bugs!

I love it.

You Are Not Alone

Sometimes I wonder why do you allow yourself to get hurt almost daily? Sometimes the people you never expected to hurt you can cut you like you've never been cut before and sometimes you let them do it over and over and over.

I say "you let them" because we all have the power to make the necessary changes that will make our lives better. Maybe not immediately but in the long run your heart will mend. It will. You know it will. You also know what needs to be done.

The world is not black and white. There are so many shades and you can only do what you can do. There are days we all can push our deep, dark, scary, sad, or whatever feelings aside. They are there but not on the surface. We can feel them pushing, trying to get to the surface but for whatever reason we are able to keep it restrained. Other days the pain is so close to the surface that nothing you do will stop it from spilling over. I am having one of those mornings.

Having a support system is key but this time I don't have one. I don't have one because I chose to not share this hurt. I choose to keep it boxed, this one cannot be shared, not right now. This pain is still so raw even after almost two years. The kind of pain that keeps you from moving forward in life and I know it is keeping me. It is stopping me from being happy, living, loving and enjoying.

If you are hurting, please know you are not alone. There are so many who hurt daily, cry daily, try daily. Putting on a smile for my family and making sure they are happy, living, loving and enjoying life is what is important to me. My pain will go away, IT will. I know it will. I know there are things I will have to do to make that happen. Things that will break MY heart. BUT until then, I know I am not alone. Sometimes it feels that way. Sometimes I know that I have me and I AM love, I live, sometimes, I am happy and sometimes I enjoy. I pray to make those sometimes change to an "all the time" but until then.....I am and that will have to be enough.

Beyond Bored

Usually in the summer we go to the beach daily. We hit the parks early in the morning when it is still nice then the lake for the reminder of the day. It was a perfect formula for a fun filled summer but it worked.

Now that my Handsome has the cast on, there is no beach or park. He won't even just go to sit near the water. We got him a waterproof cast cover but it doesn't protect 100% and he won't wear it to the beach only a friend's house where we have enjoyed her pool. Five times since the summer started.

Most days the kids toggle between computers, videos, You Tube, Kindles and TV and seem very happy. Me on the other hand feel lonely most days. I feel like every day is exactly the same with no relief. On the weekend my husband is too tired to do anything due to him working two jobs. UGH....Just had to vent. I want to scream but feel better writing it out.

Oh well...back to laundry

Summer Dress Up - Cinderella's Wedding Dress Makes Goddess A Princess

My Goddess has loved dressing up since the age of 12 months. She has always loved princess dresses. What little girl or big girl for that matter doesn't? Costume play is a big part of childhood. There are so many reasons kids love dressing up.

When we encourage dress up play we are helping our children learn dexterity, social skills, role playing, decision making and more.  

While they are playing they are also gaining confidence. Sometimes stepping outside their self, they act and talk like the character they want to be. I remember listening to my kids play and the conversations used to crack me up. Handsome playing a police officer, Goddess playing a teacher, both pretending to be dogs, these are memories I will have forever.

Besides watching my kids, I get a kick out of them dressed up. Seeing Handsome as a surgeon or Goddess as Holly Hobbie (my favorite), I could cry. They are so cute that I can never take enough photos of them in their costumes.

Princess dresses are something we have always had a lot of. She looks adorable in them and I get to live vicariously through her. I love the idea of a princess dress for myself and have dressed up as Snow White to go trick or treating with the kids in the past.  Even I love princesses so when Cinderella came out this March, we headed straight to the theater to see it with a a slew of our friends. We loved it! The blue gown when she met the prince; I sent it via Instagram because I loved it so much. #Cinderella has arrived at the ball #disney #fairytal AND the stunning white wedding gown were spectacular. Just another reason to love the movie! Who wouldn't want to wear a stunning, one of a kind dress fit for a princess as she marries the prince?

WELL.....

Guess what?

Costume Express has the dress....

And this packaging doesn't even come close to show you how beautiful this dress is.  Here is Goddess on a few of the occasions she has played dress up this Summer so far.

Yesterday she allowed me to do a photo shoot of her wearing the dress and she definitely had her Cinderella moment.

I can't even chose just one so get ready for way too many photos of my baby.

The detail is so pretty and she said she feels pretty in the dress too! How could she not? It is a stunning white with a silky, satin look and colorful flowers on the bodice and bottom. It has lacy arms and a pearl look to it. Very iridescent in the sun.

She did have to wear something underneath but only because she said the cinched waist itched her. So we put white shorts underneath that came above her belly button. No itch! That was the only thing she complained about.

I love how pretty she looks in it and think this is a the perfect dress to play dress up or to really dress up!

The dress flows beautifully and she couldn't stop spinning around.

Don't wait for Halloween, Summer is a perfect time to play dress up AND if you want this for a Halloween Costume, I suggest getting it now. It comes in sizes 3T - 12.

Cinderella takes a nap?

She was loving herself!

 

"One last pic and you can take it off!"

Window Bird Feeder Video Review

We had ONE of the coolest experiences of our lives almost two weeks ago. If you follow on Instagram you may already know that we got to play Mother Bird to two babies who were not ready to fly after leaving the nest. We are still talking about it like it happened yesterday. Every day Goddess tells me she misses them. I miss them too. It was amazing.

The birds were to tiny but so trusting. Goddess amazed me with how gentle she was. She definitely is a bird whisperer. They did not want to leave her finger which they perched on until she found them another perch which ended up being my selfie stick. They even allowed her to feed them worms. I was truly blessed to see this interaction.

On the day the birds landed which is a funny story in itself (**Goddess walked over to the nest with a selfie stick and all 5 birds decided this was the time to leave the nest. I felt them flying into me as I was standing right there about to take a photo. I felt them hitting my body like little fluffy balls**.)  we received a bird feeder from Yellow Beaks which withstands the weather and comes with suction cups that you apply to the window. As soon as it came in, I took a quick few photos and brought it outside to my girl who had been sitting by the bird box for 4.5 hours already making sure they were safe.

The Yellow Beaks Bird Feeder is a perfect addition to any home. It's easy to clean and refill when necessary.  I love that I can see the birds feeding from all angles. Hopefully I can get some great bird photos in the future.

Teen Beach 2 On CD - Our Beach AND Pool Party

Have any of you guys seen Teen Beach 2 yet? My daughter didn't see the first one but when Teen Beach 2 was on, she watched it at least 6 times. She wasn't the only one. Her friends were all into it to. It's cute. It's right up there with another Disney favorite of mine High School musical. I loved those movies and knew all the songs. I put it on for my daughter at the time, she was too young but she was my excuse to watch it.

 

Teen Beach reminded me of the Annette Funicello and Frankie Vallie beach movies. Pure innocence and fun. Just a bunch of kids having a good time over the summer break only this one has an obvious modern feel and a bit of supernatural.

Our Beach Party started in the morning when we headed down to meet some friends for bagels and juice...the kids had a blast and loved getting all the cool swag thanks to my friends at Disney!

The leis and wrist bands went over well. They were so excited to play and listen to music that they knew from the show. The tiny one in yellow was probably the most excited about getting her CD. Her mom me that she was going to kill me because she knows that she just lost all control over what is played in the car for the next few weeks.

The Save The Beach wrist bands were so cute. Wish there was one for me.

After breakfast in the sand we headed to a pool party everyone enjoyed more music, pizza and Gatorade.

Disney you always think of everything. These kids had a blast.

Now we have a Teen Beach 2 poster going up in her very eclectic room but I guess I need to just let her fly. It's her room.

So from my friends and family to yours...I wish you a wonderful, lei, music, friends, fun filled reminder of your summer. Enjoy it. It goes so fast.

Foster The Artist In Your Child

My Goddess is a true artist. She gets in the zone and don't mess with her. It is her favorite thing to do. We are constantly on the lookout for paint, paper, pencils, sketchbooks and more. She has been creating since the ripe old age of 2 and we love all her pieces. She is a natural and I can't wait to see where she takes this passion. Having art supplies at the ready is important to us.

Over the years my dining room table was littered with scraps of paper, paint and glitter from all of her many projects but in the past  5 years I have tried to get her to stop ripping pages out of the books. Keep them in so we don't lose them or damage them.

This Manga/Marker book has a drawing featuring a manga/anime character on the cover which is truly a love of hers. This book has 24 pages that has some quality paper at a fantastic price!

She loves it and is keeping her art in it.

If you have a child who loves art, my suggestion is to always have the tools and resources around, they will create! They will because they can't help it.

10 Reason's Art Is Important For Your Child:

1. It's Fun
2- Art helps kids to think outside the box. To express themselves and to be inventive.
3 - Helps with motor skills
4 - Art brings culture enrichment into their lives
5 - Art is great for the soul. You feel good doing it. Pick up a crayon and see for yourself.
6 - Great for hand eye coordination
7-  Art is great for self esteem
8 - Art stimulates both sides of the brain
9 - Keeps kids unplugged.
10 -  Art strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Mary’s Secret Ingredients Subscription Review

Mary's Secret Ingredients is a seasonal subscription box that was created by Mary Frances of Love-The Secret Ingredient.

As a passionate cook, Mary always looks for new inspiration and interesting flavor combinations and she knows that other foodies are the same. So she wanted to share her favorite new ingredients with others, provide support to food manufacturers and producers, as well as use her passion and the popularity of her blog to give back to combat hunger.

When you first open the box!

The letter from Mary

We received the summer box from Mary's Secret Ingredients and I can tell you, we were extremely inspired.

Here is what was inside the box!

The Cinnful Sweet Heat was delicious. I could have eaten the whole bag if I didn't HAVE to share. I wish I had more of them as soon as we were done.  There were tortilla chips with cinnamon and sugar on them. They were incredible. A little heat but just from the little coating of cinnamon. Sooooo good.

The Delta Blues Rice was surprisingly good. It is Rice Grits which we have never had. The entire bag was done by the 5th day we got the box because Goddess asked me to make them 3 times within the 5 days and when we were done she was so sad.  Literally just little pieces of rice this so a wonderful side dish. I made it using just the serving size and a box of chicken broth. Goddess likes things very plain. I made mine and added broccoli and sauteed chicken over it. Best meal I've had in a long time.

 

The included BBQ sauce was the most delicious I have ever had. Rufus Teague, you have my heart. I put this on everything and have even used it as a dipping sauce for my chips! LOVE IT!

Lastly the Speegee is a silicone spatula. Because of it's design it is completely versatile. Our go to these days.

While the Summer boxes are sold out you can still order future boxes at Love The Secret Ingredient. You will be surprised with how affordable these are. We are ordering the next two and think I am sending the winter one to my niece this Christmas. She will love it!

Shopping For Your Kids Shoes Just Got A Whole Foot Easier #shoeshopping

Squatchi®, Inc. (pronounced skwa chee) co-founders Amy Town Carabajal and Debra Rosenbloum created this nifty little device as a way to simplify the lives of parents and kids when buying shoes.

 

 My kids are a little older now but I remember like it was last year and it literally was.  Going to buy them shoes was so stressful. I couldn't tell if the shoe was fitting my little one. They were too young to be able to tell me how it fit and I was so nervous that I would get the wrong size and forget about ordering online. That was just not going to happen.

Squatchi is a foot sizer that goes from size 2 toddler to 5 child and everything in-between. '

I honestly wish I had this when they were babies. What a wonderful way to show their growth. You can size your little one by putting their heel against the back, mark where they are and put the date and age so you have a wonderful keepsake of their little piggies from first shoes to large, smelly feet.

Plus there is even a little hole for easy hanging. You can add it right to the wall next to their growth chart and pull it down when you need to go shoe shopping!

What a cute idea.

Check out this video from Grommet

This is a great idea for baby showers, first birthdays or whenever plus it comes in 8 colors for any room decor

 

I Am Using My Hand Painted Wine Glasses For All My Drinks #ValentinaParis

This is one of the biggest, most beautiful wine glass I have ever seen.

The Valentina Paris wine glasses come two to a box and are each one of a kind because they are truly a work of art. Each one is single-handedly mouth blown and hand painted. Every one is unique and original!

Imagine how beautiful these will look on your table.

Information from the company says that each one is designed to let the wine breathe so you can swirl and smell before tasting. They say each sip will be delicious, well they say breathtakingly delicious. Now, I don't know anything about that but I can tell you that I absolutely have fallen in love with these classes. I don't even want to put them in a cabinet and hide them but I also want to keep the safe.

Not only have I drank wine in them but I have had my morning OJ, my weekend beer and the other day I even sipped my water from it. I don't play favorites. If it is my beverage, it is going in the glass!

I truly love the colors. The blue, gold and pink are beautiful.

In case you can't get an idea of just how big these glasses are, here are two for comparison.  I feel so tiny holding the glass.

 If you are looking for a wedding gift, anniversary gift, housewarming gift, bachelorette gift, shower gift, or just for yourself, these glasses are stunners.