Friday Letters

Time for Friday Letters and I'm joining the link up this week.

Dear C - I know you are getting molars but I'm ready for it to be over. I know it hurts but I'm ready for you to not be unhappy anymore.

Dear N - No you do not have school today. You are done until July.  I'm not sure why you are so obsessed with why we aren't going now when you don't really want to go when you have school.

Dear Kali - yes I still love you but I'm not sure why you must be under me feet all day. What happened to the days that you slept upstairs all day and only came down once the boys were asleep.

Dear eyebrows - yes I know that I need to get you waxed but do you need to grow so fast all of a sudden.  I swear the sunscreen is a growth serum.

Dear Pool - yes you I know we live in NC but could we maybe try putting warm water in you. I know it gets hot here but these early days are still very cold to most of us.  When the 5 yr old says you are cold then you are cold.

Jenny

Friday Phone Dump

It's Friday and you know what that means. Time to link up with Jennifer over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for our weekly pictures.

Last weekend was so nice we spent a lot of time outside. N found this frog and brought it over to show us.  M said he wanted to take a picture and the frog that was facing N turned around to pose. It is a very smart frog.  We also had dinner outside a couple times including Sat night with family. Here are all the kids saying cheese. They actually did it which leads to the silly faces.

We have a video monitor system in as our baby monitor and when I peaked in on C during his nap I couldn't see him so I went up to nap.  This is what I found. I'm not sure he could have many more stuffed in his crib with him.

Kali my cat has been all over me lately. I'm not sure if its the weather or what but she's just been crazy.  This is her trying to create in my scrapbooking tote.  She was rummaging all in there for some reason.

I finally took the boys to the pool this week. The weather was warm enough but without enough warm days in a row the water is cold. You know its cold when even the 5 year old complains about it.

Last Saturday Nana took the boys on a walk while I was at Archivers. N told her it was too sunny so he took her sunglasses to wear.  They then took a really long walk looking for a warehouse N insisted that he and M saw on one of their walks but no such place exists that any of us know of. Hmm we'll have to figure out what is is talking about another walk.

So that's what our week looked like. How was yours?

Jenny

Thursday Thoughts

Its Thursday Thoughts over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom and I'm linking up again this week.

• Just saw today that Big Brother After Dark is going to be on TVGN this year instead of Showtime. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I hope its still uncensored since that's what makes it so good. We also don't get TVGN on my Tivo so I don't have a way to record it. :( I won't be watching as much since I'm not normally up at that time to watch.
• So yesterday was the day they finally relieved who Roger Howorth is playing on GH now. He is the new Franco. I actually like him better then James Franco so I'm excited for this. It also ages Franco by about 10 years which only makes sense since he now has a 20ish daughter.  I'm curious to see how this all plays out. Oh and he's also a Quartermaine so that is Awesome.  And yes as you can tell I am addicted.
• Finally went to the pool yesterday.  The water is cold since its been so chilly here. When the kids say its cold then you know its cold. Even so I think we have made a new routine. Pool in the am for a couple hours, home for lunch and then nap for C. :)  I could see this being a huge pattern this summer.
• I need to start thinking of some new summer meal ideas.  I'm bored with my staples and I need to venture out.  
• With that being said I also need to work more on my couponing. I used to be so good. Not extreme by any mean but I used them. I've been really slack lately but I need to get back to it. The boys are eating more and I need to save some money for my subscription boxes ;)
• Ah subscription boxes I love you so. Do you think there is anyway we could pick shipping days so that I get at least one box a week instead of all of you the same week? This would make me so happy.

So that's my ramblings of the day. What are you thinking about today?

Jenny

So What Wednesday

I So What Wednesday over at Life after I Dew and I'm linking up.

This week I'm saying So What if...

• The boys and I are heading to the pool this morning and I'm not going to force Caleb to get in the water today. I know the water is going to be cold and if he wants to sit on the side and play I'm all for that. ;)
• I just ordered my Stampin' Up preorder and my new cattys and they go live on Friday.  I'm a slacker and we can see them online so all is good.
• I had M get me a fitbit for Mother's Day and I've yet to set it up.  I want to use it but its a little scary too.
• Watching GMA this morning and the 90s dance breaks I realized I haven't downloaded the new NKOTB album yet and I have the concert in a couple weeks. I can't wait.
• my friend told me that NKOTB would be on the Today show Friday and I had forgotten until just now. (I took a minute and set the Tivo for it)
• I keep wanting to do a blog post on season finales but I've been slacking. I still have a couple more shows to watch.
• I get excited everytime I see a commercial or ad for Big Brother. I really hope its a good season. ;)

That's it for me. What are you saying So What if today?

Jenny

Mommy & Me Cravebox

My Mommy and Me Cravebox came today. It said it would be good for mommies and children 0-2 so I thought why not I'm sure C and I can use the items in there. Hmm I should have passed. Normally I'm good with the boxes and the randomness that is in them but this one is pretty puny compared to the others I've gotten.

I love the Cravebox boxes. They are so pretty when they get delivered.

 First look inside. They use some of the prettiest paper and it matches the box.  I reuse this paper in my gifts so if you get anything from me be on the look out for subscription box packging in there.

First look when I removed the paper. It looked ok to start.

And these are the contents.  Very puny compared to most of their boxes and I'm not sure how it all fits a mommy and me theme.  C will love the juice in the package and the little highlights book. N already gets High Five so that is a repeat for us but that is not their problem.  I'm trying to figure out how herbal tea and styling mousse are mommy and me related. :(  Nothing that I'll be using soon. I do drink tea but mostly when its cold so it will either be passed on or sit in the pantry until next fall.  The box also had some coupons for woolite items but no freebies just dollars off.









So as you can see not my favorite box at all. This Cravebox cost $12 and I don't think we got anywhere near that value.  I will still give them another chance since I normally like their boxes but this one is disappointing.  Did you get this box? What do you think of Cravebox? Have you gotten others that you loved?

Jenny

Friday Photo Dump

It's Friday Phone Dump time over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom and I'm linking up.

As the end of Ns school year was upon us he had his parent tea last week. The kids come in and sing songs. I never know what he is singing since he always tells me its a surprise. This year they did three songs and they all required movement and action. It was really cute to see how much they have changed and how they actual sing now versus just last year when maybe one kid sang.

And just how did N graduate from preschool? I can't  believe he is actually that old and that he will be in kindergarten in July.  The theme was Oh the Places You will Go and they had made their own caps for the occasion.

Since I knew my mornings with C were winding down we went to DD one day. He loves going to this one since they have these kid tables with toys and books. We have this exact toy at home that he never touches but you know its better when you can play with it out. ;)

This picture just came out really cute.  This is one of the outfits that came in my Sweet Pea Box and I'm a little obsessed with the Tiny Whales t-shirt.  It is so stinking cute.

Took this picture this morning. Its a dreary day so far so the boys decided to watch the Ipads.  Too bad my house is so small that they have to be in the exact same space.  Good thing they are small and both fit together on the couch.

Have a great day and a wonderful holiday weekend. Anyone have any big plans? We are just hanging around the house. I'm scrapping tomorrow night while Nana watches the boys so winwin for both of us ;)  Hoping to get to the pool some too.

Jenny

 

Teacher Gift Pails

So I had this great idea to decorate pails for the teacher gifts this year.  I've had the pails forever and even had the stuff to go in the pails for awhile but actually getting them done was another thing.  Of course I started two days before the last day and soon realized I was going to run out of sticky strip.  I went looking and found I had two partial spools of it so a trip to ACMoore was in my horizon. I bought a spool there and barely got the three pails done before I was out again. I didn't compare the amount of tape on the spools and the ones they had are not as big as mine from Stampin' Up. I guess I know something going on my next order. Only problem was that he has three teachers and I had gotten a little something for his director too.  No problem directors goes in a bag. Sorry but I was not running back out today.

These are the pails I had picked out.  Not huge but a decent size. I got them at Lowe's and they have all different sizes and some that have lids more like a paint can which are fun to decorate too.

A look down before I got started. This is some older Designer Series Paper from Stampin' Up but it screams school for me and I love the colors so I grabbed it out.










Here is a picture of one of the finished pails. Sorry for the angle but I was trying to find a solid background so you could see the ribbons.  That was fun and a great way to use up some spools of ribbon. I grabbed alot of different spools that were all in the same color feel as my pails.

 Here are the three finished pails.  Ns class is the owls so each pail has an Owl candle holder and candle in it along with their Target gift cards.  Who doesn't love Target ;)

Hmm I thought you could see the bag better in this one but oh well. I took a brown kraft gift bag and decorated it in the same paper and ribbons as the pails.  Very cute and super speedy. Another great way to use up some scraps that you have left over.

So there you have it.  I'll have even more gifts to make next year since N will be in Kindergarten and C will be in preschool. I'll have to make sure I start ahead of time but I do love how these turned out.

Happy crafting,

Jenny

Thursday Thoughts

It's Thursday Thoughts over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom and I'm linking up.

• I still can't believe my Mr Man graduated from preschool. It just baffles my mind. And yes to those that ask I call him Mr Man so much in fact that C calls him Mister.  He knows his name but still calls him Mister. ;)
• I keep seeing previews for Big Brother and I'm a tad bit obsessed. I can't wait for it to start back up. I classify it in the summer guilty pleasure.
• I'm pretty much sick of the rain but they are saying low humidity this weekend and I'm all over that.  I'm scrapping on Saturday which always makes me happy and then if its really nice like they say we are going to try and get the boys out of the house. We need to get to the pool one of these days.
• Today is the first day of our summer. N can sleep in till he wants to get up and of course I already hear C up there and I'll get him in a few minutes. He does better when we give him some crib time when he wakes up vs going right up and grabbing him. He likes his Me time.
• Oh just thought of something I need to work on finishing my current book since the new Kresley Cole book comes out in June. I need to be ready to read that right when it comes out. I can't get enough of my paranormal romance books. (ok not what I normally call them but I don't want to come up on weird searches using what I normally say :))
• So who watches General Hospital? As I've said before I'm kindof addicted again. I understand why the OLTL people left and they've now brought them back as different characters and I understand why but who in the world is the old Todd Manning?  He acts like everyone there should know him so I'm thinking he must be a recast but I have no idea who. It's bugging me.

So that's my random thoughts of the day. What are you thinking about.

Jenny

Last Day of Preschool

Oh where oh where has the time gone. I'm having a hard time believing that Noah is graduating from preschool today and that he will be off to Kindergarten in July. How did my Mr. Man get to be 5 years old. This just baffles my mind.

First Day of Preschool Sept 2012     

                                        Last Day of Preschool May 2013    

                                                                                      

Stay tuned later this week when I do some pictures from his graduation ceremony today. It was really cute.

Jenny

My Paper Pumpkin May 2013

It's that time again My Paper Pumpkin came in the mail this weekend. I was so excited to get it since last months really rocked and I had just used it.

This month I got the pumpkin orange box which I didn't get a good picture of. :( but trust me it is gorgeous and so bright.

 I love getting into the package. All of the parts are wrapped up so that they stay nice and straight. The stamp set and spot are loose in the box.  The spots are great since I toss them in an old wooden block case and carry them to crops. I don't need every color all the time and I don't need to carry my large ink pads so I can get an assortment of colors in a little space.

 Here are all the products laid out. This month as we got all the makings for a small mini album. I plan to use it for my sister's graduation this past weekend once I get the pictures developed.

 There are many sheets of paper to use on the pages.

 And 6 sheets of stickers. Two pages each of three different designs. I see alot of leftovers from this kit which are great since they will go with my This-n-that line in the new catty.

Here is the info sheet showing a sample of the mini album.



















I'm very excited for this month's kit. The last two month kits have been card kits which I have had a lot of fun making and you can see here and here.  If you are still need to know  My Paper Pumpkin   is a monthly kit from Stampin' Up for $19.95 a month.  They send you a kit with everything (except the adhesive) to make a project in about 30min. I'm very curious to see what the future kits look like. I think Stampin' Up is on the right path so far and I've already used all of my cards from the last two months. That is what I was hoping would happen since I love to go scrapbooking and cardmaking but I don't always have time to do alot at home with my two little helpers. These are great to pull out and knock out quickly so that I can use them as needed and they get my juices flowing for future projects.

Please check them out My Paper Pumpkin  they have a FAQ section or ask me if you have any questions.

Happy Crafting,
Jenny

disclaimer: still a demo so if you order through me I get a commission. However all opinions are my own as always.

Goodies May 2013 Review

My Goodies Box came on Saturday. I love getting packages on Saturday since I feel like they should only come during the week so its always an extra surprise especially since my tracking said that it would  be here on Monday.

First look. This months box was really heavy when I looked it was 4lbs and normally its around 2lbs so I was really curious as to what was in there. I got version 4 this month and I think I've read that there were 7 versions. Mostly just slightly different flavors in some of the items.  If you don't already know Goodies is a snack box that comes once a month for $7.  They do have a waiting list so if you are interested go ahead and sign up. I was only on it a week or so but the timing has varied for others.

When I pulled back the paper I could see why the box was so heavy. The Coconut water is huge.

and now onto the goodies:

• Zico Coconut Water - I'm not a fan of coconut anything so I won't be trying this however my mother in law loves coconut so I'll pass this on to her.  This is a huge sample though as its a whole liter and part of why I think the box was so heavy.
• Bronco Bob's Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce - This just sounds delicious and online it says you can use it to baste meat or pour over cream cheese as a simple hor d'oeuvre   Well I'm thinking this will be good over some meat so that's my plan.
• California Olive Ranch EVOO - Who can't use EVOO. These are so cute I plan to take them with me when we head to the beach this summer.  We have a kitchen so these will be handy to use without having to take my big bottle.
• Kathie's Kitchen Sea Salt Pumpkin Seeds - I'm going to sample these today. :) I love pumpkin seeds and you can never go wrong with sea salt. These just sound yummy.
• Dorval Sour Power Sortz and Straws - Wow these look sour but they are fat free so that means I can eat as many as I want. Right? ;)  My son is already oogling these so I don't think I will get a taste but they are really cool.
• Beanitos Nacho Cheese white bean chips - I've never heard of white bean chips but since I'm a chipaholic I will be eating these later.
• Numi Organic Tea Moroccan Mint - I do drink hot tea on occasion but I have a hard time doing it in the summer. To me its more of a cold winter nights thing so this will get set in the pantry until its cooler here.
• Wholly Guacamole coupon and bag clip - This is for a free product so I'm very excited. We love wholly products here and I can't wait to get one. Plus who can't use an extra bag clip. I'm not sure whats going on at my house but lately alot of mine have been breaking so I've had to improvise.

All in all this is a great month. I will be trying or passing on everything. Plus you can review your items on their site for points and get free things. I cashed in my points and got this box for free. You can't get any better then that.

Jenny

Friday Phone Dump

It's Friday so that means time for the Friday Photo Dump and I'm linking up with Ramblings of a Suburban Mom or I will be when she gets her link up. :) If not I'm still going solo this week. (ETA she put up a post so we are linked up.)

Not sure how this happened but my sister graduated last weekend. She is awesome and graduated from highschool and college with her associates degree on the same day. She will be up here near me at NC State in the fall to continue on for her Bachelors Degree. I can't wait to see her more since I'm sure any new college freshmen wants to spend time at her sister's house. ;)

On the way down to Charlotte the boys and I stopped at the zoo. I took all of two pictures while there. LOL I know bad scrapbooker bad scrapbooker but I did take two good pictures don't you think?

This is my brotherly love photo of the week. We got my mom an ipad mini for Mother's Day so she passed down her old ipad to Caleb. The boys will no longer be fighting over the ipad. Of course that last all of two seconds since all week they only want the one that the other kid has.  I guess I need to sync them so that they are identical.

So that was my week in review. How was your week? Did you get any great photos?

Jenny

Thursday Thoughts

It's time for Thursday Thoughts over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom and I'm linking up.

• We went to Ns last Parent Tea at his preschool and his graduation is next week. I can not believe he is 5 and starting Kindergarten soon. How did he get to be so big? 
• This also leads me to how in the world can C go to preschool in the fall. He just seems so much younger then N ever did at the same age. I'm looking forward to my 6 hours a week but I'm just not sure how I'll make it either without either of my mini monsters.
• All of the networks had their upfronts this week and I'm already making my fall tv schedule in my head. :) Once I read descriptions of all the new shows I will start working on my chart. Yes I make a chart for the beginning of the season.  It takes organization to watch/record as much tv as I do ;)
• I'm in a bit of a subscription box drought this week. I know some have shipped but I have no idea when they will get here since they have been transferred to USPS and who knows how long that will take.
• Just saw yesterday that the Disney Junior Live show is stopping here in Aug but when I looked at the calendar I will be in Charlotte for CKC so sorry boys unless I can convince your dad to take you both to the show by himself I think we just won't mention it and you will never know its in town. Hmm not sure how that will work but that's my plan for right now. I do have some priorities and a scrapbooking weekend for me comes over a kids touring show. LOL

So what are you thinking about today? Anyone have any good plans for the weekend? We have a lazy weekend coming up before the summer craziness kicks off.  

Jenny

Sweet Pea May 2013 Box Review

My Sweet Pea Box came last week and I'm just getting around to sharing it. If you don't know Sweet Pea Box is a relatively new kids clothing delivery service. They have choices ranging from $30-$50 a month depending on how many items you want to get. I choice the 4 item box for $30 this month to try them out.  They recently relaunched and accepted alot of new people but I think they are back on a wait list. You can also check out their Facebook page Sweet Pea FB Page to see some cute items that they have to send out.

You can add notes to your file and I think I left mine pretty open just said I wanted to split between both boys but it didn't have to be even split if they had great stuff for one over the other and that I don't like sweat pants or shorts. Other then that I was just going to go with the flow and see how it worked out.  I think it worked out pretty well and we will get use out of all the items.

• The left outfit is a 2T with a Tommy Hilfiger top and an OP bathing suit bottom
• The right outfit is a 4T with a Pigeon Camera tshirt and Carters shorts.

I love that even though they are different brands the outfits go together and they even coordinate with each other if I wanted to do a picture of the boys together. 

I will be getting more months and seeing what all we get next time.  Its hard with boys to find a box that sends cute boy stuff. I know its out there so I'm glad they found some and sent them my way.

If you want to check them out and sign up please let them know where you heard of them and I will get something free in a future bag. :)

Feel free to ask me any questions about them and let me know if you get the Sweet Pea Box and what you got this month.

Jenny

disclaimer: Not an affiliate think but if you mention my blog or my name Jenny Louthan when you sign up I will get free stuff in a future bag. And I will be eternally grateful. ;)

Birchbox May 2013 Review

My mailbox was full today with my two boxes and the second one I got was my Birchbox.  After opening my Julep this one just wasn't nearly as exciting but it is a decent box and I will use everything in it so that's always a plus.

 I do love getting this box each month as I have no idea what will be in there. They always send so many different boxes out there that you just never know.

 This month my box was really light but it looked so full that it was deceptive.

And now on to my goodies:

• Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste - Who can't use more toothpaste. I will be tossing this one in my togo bag for when I travel.
• Coola Classic Face SPF30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face - I'm not sure how many of you know but I've had Melanoma twice already so needless to say I don't leave without my sunscreen on so anytime I get sunscreen its always welcome. 
• Amika Obliphica Nourishing Mask - this is for your hair and says that it will boost shine and help repair split ends. My hair is normally pretty normal but in the summer it needs some help with all of the  pool time and sun it gets.  I'll be using this to help it get back its luster.
• Runa Guayusa Tea - this is my lifestyle extra and I do drink tea sometimes so I'm up for giving this a try.
• Sumita color contrast eyeliner - I have very dark brown eyes so eyeliner is one of my go to products when I want to up my makeup factor. The darker the better for me so I will use this soon.

So did you get a box this month? What did you get in yours? You don't get Birchbox yet? It's easy and fun and for $10 a month you get samples to try and review. With each review you get points and then for every 100 points you get they will take $10 off a full size product purchase.  It makes it an even better deal.

Jenny

disclaimer: my affiliate link is above to buy through me and I get points. :)

Julep Hooray For May Mystery Box 2013

Wow that was some fast shipping. I ordered my Hooray for May Mystery Box on Friday and I got a shipping notice that afternoon but I was still surprised to see the Julep box in the mail today. It was a happy surprise though since I need to do my nails and this gives me all the incentive to get on that tonight. :)

 I love opening the boxes since they always have the cutest tissue and shreds in there. They are different each month so it helps in my gift giving since I can usually find a bag to match it.  I'm all about the recycle.

This mystery box also included a special polish that you can share or pass on.  I was planning on passing it on but after opening it I think I might be keeping it. LOL I'm so bad. ;)

My papers say that I got Version 2 and since they are just starting to be delivered I'm not sure how many versions there are but I was so excited to get all polishes.  There were the five that are my mystery box and then the one that is my pass along. All for $24.99 so this was a great deal for me.  It also said that they have created two new brights and we were guaranteed to get at least one so I'm curious to see what the other color was.  Here are the colors I got:

• Vanessa - Bombshell - is an opalescent glitter in a clear base - This is awesome since I can layer on any other color to give it a little oomph
• Grace - Classic With a Twist - this is a light pink sheer - probably a little light for me but it will be good for those times that I don't want a bold color
• Sharon - Classic With a Twist - a dark bold red shimmer - I can't wait to wear this on my tootsies. The picture does not do it justice it looks amazing.
• Avery - Classic With a Twist - hot pink creme - This is so bright. It will be great for summer pool and beach wear
• Charlie - Bombshell - This one isn't available to search on the Julep site so I'm guessing its the special color. As I've mentioned before I don't have a yellow color to complete my rainbow nails and this one is so bright that I know my son will love it.  I can see a rainbow coming up in my future. :)
• Alice - Boho Glam - antique lilac shimmer - so this is the special I am able to pass along but since I don't have it I think that I will be keeping this for myself. It didn't help that purple is my favorite color so this is going right in my new polish holder.

I'm so glad that I jumped and grabbed the mystery box. Did you get it? What all did you get?

Jenny

disclaimer: My affiliate link is up there so if you want to get in on the monthly box and use my link I get credits. 

My Paper Pumpkin April 2013

I told you I already had the April My Paper Pumpkin Box when I posted the March Intro box last week and guess what I already made some of the cards in it. For those curious My Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit from from Stampin' Up for $19.95 a month. They send you a kit with everything (except the adhesive) to make a project in about 30 minutes.  This was the second month of the kit and this set seriously rocks.  I liked the first month but this kit is really right up my alley and is a style that I love to stamp. I will be using the stamp set alot in both my cards and my scrapbooking.

First look once I opened the box.  We are still getting the kraft color boxes but we've been told that a pumpkin orange box is coming. I can't wait.

The supplies once I opened the packet. We did not get a clear block this month since you only get that your first month of the kit.  Hmm just realized I forgot to get the stamp set in this picture.  Sorry but they did send a set.

The stamp set was a collection of three stamps. The large Seriously and the smaller you kick booty and also love your guts as shown below.  The silver buttons are available separately too and are awesome.  I love them. I used this card for my sister's graduation  She graduated with an associates degree from college and her high school diploma on the same day. I think that Seriously Kicks Booty. She rocks!!!

This is the other saying with the stamp set. I used this as another Mother's Day Card.  What mother wouldn't love to know that you love her guts?

I still have two more of this card to make. I just can't decide which saying to use yet so I think I'm just going to set it aside and see what comes up.  I didn't alter the cards this month since it was so my style. I was able to quickly knock them out and use them right away.  I can't wait for next months kit and to see what we get.

Jenny

disclaimer: I am a Stampin' Up Demo but all opinions as always are my own.