The Bloggy Giveaways Carnival!

*************Comments are now closed. The winner will be announced just as soon as Random.org picks you.**************

I know I'm putting this post up early, but any minute now I'm going to sneeze so hard that my eyeballs pop out, and then I'll really need a nap. So welcome to my giveaway!

Today I am giving away this Starbucks mug, filled with a LUSH bath bomb and a $25 Starbucks gift certificate! All of my favorite things. To enter to win, leave a comment and tell me:

If you had to choose between a nice, relaxing bath with no interruptions, or a nice hot cup of coffee (or tea) with no interruptions, which would you choose?

This contest will close and the winner will be announced on Feb 1st, and is open to residents of the US or Canada only.

And don't forget to come back on Monday, February 11 for The Big Bloggy Move. There will be more prizes!!!


Check out the other giveaways!

There sits a Starbucks...

I'd say this is heaven, not the end of the universe!

If I haven't lost my mind already, then I probably will this week

I'm lonely.

Well, I just put that right out there, didn't I?

School started and people got busy and suddenly I have literally gone weeks without a face-to-face real conversation with someone.

Oh, I've been to Bible Study and church and cheer practice and talked to people, but an honest-to-goodness conversation?

Weeks.

So I decided that on Tuesday I'll load up my crew and drive 8 hours to visit my friend Joy, whose husband is also deployed.

Or so I thought.

I don't know quite how I did it, but the brain cells? They are failing me.

It doesn't take 8 hours to drive from Mississippi to North Carolina.

It takes 14.

And I'm still going to attempt it.

And I mean attempt, because I'm a practical person and I know that I may make it to Alabama or Georgia, stay in a hotel for the night, and turn around and head home the very next day.

But if I make it, we'll have seven kids and zero husbands, and the refreshment of as much time as I want with a Christian sister who has known me since before my husband and I started dating.

And that is definitely worth the effort.

So if you don't hear from me for a few days, then I'm probably in North Carolina.

Hopefully with all three of my kids in tow, and still in possession of my sanity.

And if anyone knows where the Starbucks are located along the way? Share!

I have a feeling I'll need the caffeine!

A soul-deep need

Bloggers everywhere seem to be talking about it lately, and I have been feeling an aching void inside that needed filling up.

Boomama, Bigmama and LilyLakeMom have caused to me to face the emptiness inside.

I needed to go to Target.

So today we all piled in the van and drove over an hour and across state lines to shop at Target.

But we stopped at Panera Bread for a snack on the way in.

I'm dieting, so I had french onion soup and avoided the croutons on top.

But I may have finished Luke's cinnamon crunch bagel.

And Chloe's cobblestone muffin.

But those don't count since I didn't actually order them.

Really.

We had a great time at Target and many absolutely necessary things were bought. Like Method eucalyptus mint cleaner and vanilla apple air freshener. And clips for Audrey's hair. And wild blueberry honey.

Obviously, things we couldn't live without and desperately needed to cross state lines for.

Before starting the long drive home, we stopped at the Starbucks counter. I got a pumpkin cream cheese muffin because I am dieting. You need veggies and everyone knows that dairy makes you skinny. It's in all those commercials.

I might have "forgotten" to ask for nonfat milk in the cinnamon dolce latte that I needed to keep me awake for the long ride home. But since we've already established that milk makes you skinny, I'm sure it was fine.

But I have no comment on the coconut macaroons that jumped into my cart.

Really.

They did.

I have Biblical evidence that these things happen. Exodus 32:22-24. The golden calf just jumps right out of the fire. Aaron had nothing to do with it.

Just as I had nothing to do with those macaroons.

Except for eating one or two five.

But it's ok.

Milk makes you skinny.

And I had a really big latte.

So, as you can see, a very satisfying trip to Target.

And I am feeling replete complete once more.

The bloggy giveaway!!!

***UPDATE*** Comments are now closed. The winner will be announced this evening around 5pm central time. See ya then!

It's here! Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting the bloggy giveaway. To join in the fun, I am giving away an "After a cup of coffee...or two" mug! You can choose from three designs. And don't worry, if you like the mugs but don't win, you can buy one for yourself (or your 50 closest friends) on my sidebar.

Good luck!

Oh, and if you actually want to win, make sure you leave me your email or blog address so I can find you! The winner will be chosen at random on Friday, July 27. This giveaway is open only for those in the US or Canada.


create & buy custom products at Zazzle

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Or at least until the coffee runs out...

It's not another world, it's just Alabama

1. Our drive to our new house was supposed to last from Monday morning to Tuesday evening. Instead it lasted until Wednesday afternoon! I had read a tip somewhere that really worked...we had a bunch of snacks and dollar toys in individual lunchbags, and every couple hours the kids would get another bag. It really helped with the fidgets when we didn't want to stop but they did.

2. We spent one night in Auburn, Alabama. The next morning at the hotel breakfast, chloe asked, "Mommy, what world are we in?" I replied, "It's not another world, it's just Alabama." I hadn't had my coffee yet, and it took a few strange looks from people before I realized how that sounded!

3. Our new backyard has a small fountain in it. Or so I thought. Our first day here the kids were playing in it and emptying it by the bucketful to make mud. When I checked on them, I realized two things: The fountain is actually a really deep pond, and it has five fish in it.

4. We have since discovered a frog who lives close to it. And tonight we discovered a baby frog, the thing is soo tiny, it's like half an inch long. So we rescued it from the driveway and the tires of death, and gave it a new home in our pond, too.

5. It's already hot and humid here. And I hear from everyone that we're in for an extra long and hot summer. So I'm really thankful for this:


It's The Best Mascara. Ever.

I get a tad shiny in hot, humid weather. Ok, I'm mopping my face up constantly. But this mascara does not smear at all! Before I started using it, I was constantly wiping under my eyes and sported the racoon look most of the time. This is not a paid endorsement or anything, just a girl who is thankful to look bright-eyed because my husband decided that Chloe and Luke should try sharing a room, and oh, the fighting and screaming and playing late into the night and the waking up early creates bags that just do not need to be emphasized by runny mascara.

6. I had to order new coffee k cups. We still haven't found the box containing ours, and caffeiene is desperately needed (see #5 re children sharing a room).

We're Here!

And we still have tons of boxes to unpack.

We did find the coffeemaker.

But we haven't found the coffee.

Pray for us.

(More updates to come later)

The Ultimate Blog Party!

Welcome to the party! Brew yourself a fresh cup of coffee.

I thought we could start the party off with a little ice breaker. I'm sure most of you have played the game Two Truths and a Lie. If you haven't, here are the rules. I will say three things about myself. Two are true, but one is a lie. You have to guess (in the comments) which statement you think is a lie. After the party is done (March 8) I will pick a random blogger from those who guessed correctly, and that person will win a handmade mini scrapbook album!

Ready?

1. I once had a pet cow.
2. I had three different majors in college.
3. I got caught in a war while in a foreign country.

Now, to tell you a little about myself. I grew up in Southern California, and went to college at USC where I met my wonderful husband. He is in the Navy and I am so proud of him. Last year he spent 6 months in Afghanistan. We have three wonderful children, and I am a new homeschooler.

We currently live on the East Coast, are getting ready to move and buy our first house. Before this, we lived in Japan for three years.

My main hobby, besides napping and drinking coffee, is scrapbooking. Once we move I plan to start selling customized scrapbook products. I am also trying to lose the ton of weight that I gained in my last pregnancy.

Take a look around, leave a comment, and try to guess what the truth is and what the lie is!

What is a k-cup you ask?

Only part of the best coffee maker EVER.

And I get no kickbacks for writing this.

Only the joy you will receive when you realize that you never have to wash a coffee pot again.

For our anniversary present this year we bought ourselves a new Keurig single serve brewing system. It uses k-cups that look like this:

Each one is for a single cup of coffee, and you can choose the size of cup you want to brew! Since you use a new k-cup for each mug o' caffeinated heaven, your coffee is always fresh (unless you like a milder brew and want to re-use the cup).

Oh, and ready in less than a minute.

And best of all- the only clean up? Remove the k-cup and throw it away.

See. I told you.

The. Best. Coffee. Maker. Ever.

I was whonked upside the head!

With love, of course.

My friend blest whonked me over at the One Weigh or Another website. I'm trying to lose 65 pounds with OWOA's support (now down to about 60 pounds), and I don't think the freshly made donut I ate yesterday is on my diet.

Did I mention it was a Rolo donut? Caramel glaze with mini chocolate chips...mmmm...

Ahem.

Anyway.

I have this pattern with weight loss that I've never been quite able to break. I can't just diet. I have to diet AND exercise regularly. If I'm not exercising regularly then I find it really hard to eat well.

I mean, I hate to sweat, and if I do get all sweaty then I'm not going make it in vain and eat poorly, you know?

But if I'm not working out, well then I probably won't lose much anyway, so why not eat that nice hot donut? Or the ice cream and bread pudding dessert that we got at Applebees on Friday night. Or the toffee almond bar I had at Starbucks with Chloe. (Since the gooey, fattening truth about the donut is out, I might as well divulge my whole weekend's snacking.)

But now that my little secret is out, I am going to work harder this week! I will eat well and not give in to snacking! And I will exercise more than once.

And if I get snacky, I'll have a cup of coffee. Or two.

Git 'Er Done

Last night I got over six hours of sleep.

IN. A. ROW.

I woke up feeling like a new woman and wanted to catch up on some stuff.  So I got dressed in my exercise clothes to start exercising.

I started a load of laundry.

I started emptying out the dishwasher.

I started organizing my new scrapbook desk.

However, I didn't finish a single one of those things.

But I  did finish filling the coffee carousel.

I may not have showered or exercised or finished anything else today, but by golly, I WILL have my choice of extra bold, medium or mild blend!

Truth, Lies and Biscotti

I've found that 4-year-olds are a veritable font of unasked-for truth. Like the other day when Chloe saw me reading my Bible:

C: What are you doing?
Me: Reading my Bible and praying. I'm having my quiet time with God. I try to do it every day.
C: But you don't do it every day.
Me: I know, but I try.
C: Yeah, but Mommy, you don't!

Or regarding my post-baby size:

C: Mommy, when I grow up and have a baby, will I have a really, really big chest like you?

But last night Chloe outright lied for the first time. I mean, she's told plenty of fantasy stories about the people who come and play with her during naptime, but this was different. This was a LIE. In fact, it was three LIES.

She was supposed to clean her room, which pretty much looked like a tornado went through a tutu store. She said she was done, and when I checked, lo and behold, a clean room! Except, wait, what's that sticking out of the closet? Hmm...some dress up clothes...and baby doll clothes...and pajamas...and dirty clothes. She had stuffed the whole pile into her closet. So we talked about how we don't put things into our closets like that, and she had to put them all in their proper places.

Hysterical crying ensued.

Later, she came out and said she was done.

Me: Already? You put it all away?
C: Yes.
Me: You put your dirty clothes in the basket?
C: Yes.
Me: You put your baby doll clothes in their drawer?
C: Yes.
Me: You cleaned it all up?
C: Yes.

So I go to check, and lo and behold...it's all still in the closet. She didn't check one thing. So I sat her on my lap and we had a talk about what lying is, and how it's not honoring to God, and she apologized and we prayed to ask God for forgiveness, too. Then I told her she had to clean it all up.

Hysterical crying ensued.

She refused to look at me or talk to me, and finally (since it was past her bedtime by now) I just had to say goodnight and she could finish cleaning and then get herself into bed.

So today we made biscotti together, since we ended last night on such a low note.

Because really, is there anything that some homemade biscotti and a cup of coffee (or two) can't fix?

Those mean librarians made me cry...

Well...kind of.

Ok, maybe they weren't that mean. Maybe they were actually very kind and understanding.

But I am 7 months pregnant and somewhat, um, emotional, these days.

So Chloe, Luke and I went to the Preschool Storytime today. It just started back up again for the year, and Chloe loves it. She really does learn there and gets to be around kids her own age-something that is lacking since all of her friends have just started preschool except for her.

But Luke couldn't quite get with the program today. He wasn't bad. He's just almost 2. Every other kid was sitting down and quietly listening to the story. Luke was standing, and calling out the names of the animals in the book the librarian was reading.

Of course, he was standing right in the middle of the front row.

And then he stepped on some kid's fingers. Not on purpose. Just because he was the ONLY CHILD STANDING.

I kept subtly pulling him to the side dragging him away, but he was a bit distracting. And let's face it, so was the pregnant woman who had to keep gracefully stepping around crawling through the other kids in order to reach him. Finally I took him to the back of the room by the door since he was protesting a bit a lot ok, he was screaming.

And then the horrible mean nice librarian interrupted her story to say, "It's ok if you take him out of the room to calm down."

But I ask you, how would that help? When I brought him back in would he suddenly say, "Oh, sorry I was standing up and having a good time, mom. I realize the error of my ways. I will now act like all the four-year-olds in the room and sit quietly."

No, he'd still be almost 2, and would want to stand up and clap and yell out all the animal names. So I took Luke in to the hall, and had Chloe come with me, since I know that she would fuss at me leaving her alone in a room full of 50 strangers.

If I wasn't 7 months pregnant, and somewhat emotional, this would have been fine. But I am. So I valiantly fought back the impending storm of tears while Chloe asked, "Why are we leaving? Is storytime done? Are we going? Where are we going? Is storytime done?"

And then, do you know what that horrible mean librarian did? She actually poked her head out the door and snidely very kindly said that they'd keep an eye on Chloe if she wanted to go back in while I helped Luke calm down.

At this point I completely lost it and all I could do was wave the librarian away. I had planned to let the kids play a bit and get some books, but I just couldn't stop crying, and was trying to hide it from the kids.

So we went to the park. And I couldn't stop crying.

So we went to Starbucks. And I got the kids a healthy snack giant cookie and me a nonfat sugarfree caramel macchiato (and possibly a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, but we won't talk about that) and kept on crying.

It took me 3 hours to stop crying.

And all because of those mean kind and understanding librarians. I mean, really. You'd think they'd know better than to be nice to a pregnant woman when she's fighting off a storm of tears!