Welcome to the Happy Halloween Blog Hop hosted by 3 Partners in Shopping and Deal Sharing Aunt!  Fall is my favorite season.  I love the pumpkins, crunchy leaves, corn mazes, and eating caramel apples.   To celebrate fall, each participating blog is giving away a prize worth at least  $25!   Our sponsor is Old Country Buffet.  They are offering one Garfield prize pack to a lucky winner!  America’s favorite food-loving cat brought his fun and loveable grumpiness to your family this fall at your local Ryan’s, HomeTown Buffet, and Old Country Buffet.

Disclosure: This post contains my affiliate link.  The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

My kids are still young.  Their faces are changing.  The big shock this year was when we took my daughter shoe-shopping before school started and realized that she was able to wear my size shoes.  How did that happen so quickly?   Every once in a while I take a few minutes to look at her baby pictures and just absorb her absolute adorableness.  My son is only four years old but already I can see that his baby days are over.  His face is taking on that childlike shape that only looks like his baby self when he’s sleeping.  Do you know what I’m talking about?  If so, take a few minutes before 2013 is over and make a photo book to preserve those wonderful memories from this year.  Blurb’s 2013 Gift Guide can be a great source to find inspiration.   [Read more…]

When choosing cosmetics and skincare, it’s great to have a lot of options. With so many of our population experiencing allergies to traditional products, we are quite fortunate to have natural choices for personal care products. When I received GEODEO to try, I was interested to see if they were effective on my summer body heat. We’re outside all the time during the summer months and it takes a toll on my sweat glands. Truthfully, I don’t actually sweat very much on a normal basis; it’s just that my b.o. can sometimes get the best of me if I’m not wearing something strong enough to mask the odor. It’s not a pretty thing.

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Disclosure: I received a product sample to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

The infinity symbol was always fascinating to me. My brain just can’t wrap around the concept of infinity. To me, everything has a beginning and end. To remember that something like love can go on forever and ever, and beyond, is just too deep for my simple mind. The infinity symbol represents that finality of infinity. That’s why it’s so popular in trendy jewelry these days. For an affordable source of beautiful rings and necklaces, you’ll want to check out Eve’s Addiction. They’re one of our sponsors for the Fall Fashionista event. One lucky winner will receive an infinity ring ($45 value)!

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by CVS. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

For some reason, we never shopped at the drugstore when I was a child.  That was partly because we were pretty healthy; I didn’t have my first antibiotic until I was 20 years old.  The only drugstore I remember from my childhood was a very small independently-owned shop that sold candy and other limited items.   Over-the-counter medication was quite expensive there so if we did need cough syrup or pain medication we generally bought it at the department store.  Things have changed since those days.  Now, I primarily shop for our household basics at CVS.  When I am intentional about my purchases and use the coupons that apply to specific products, I can often come away with owing only a handful of change.  It’s amazing that the savings are so great!   We rarely buy our toiletries or cleaning products at the department store anymore because it’s just so much less expensive at CVS.  Let me explain how we do it.

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The end of summer always feels bittersweet to me.   August is our last hurrah.  Even though we head back to school at the beginning of August, we can usually swim after school and maybe piddle in the garden for a few minutes.  This year the temperatures were cooler and we didn’t get in the pool more than a couple of days per week.  We even closed the pool early this year because it was just too cold to swim.   My garden is starting to shut down for the winter, too.  Just a few days ago we brought in the last of the potatoes and harvested the butternut squash.  We also scavenged some tomatoes that fell off the vine when we tried to pick them.  There are massive amounts of strawberries in the beds, too, but they just weren’t ripe yet.  It’s such a treat to pick a couple of strawberries for the kids as we come in the door.

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In the era before email and even free long distance calling, handwritten notes were commonplace. The novelty of sending a birthday card over the computer was exciting at first, but now it seems almost impersonal. Since such events can be scheduled, even automated, years in advance, it requires almost no thought to wish someone a happy day once a year. One could argue the benefits of having an e-card versus wasting a natural resource. I’m in the old-school camp. Call me traditional, old-fashioned, or whatever, but I just love the beauty of a handwritten note. In the past I was the friend who could always be depended upon to send a long letter or at least a thinking-of-you card. These days I’ve missed way too many opportunities to send a thoughtful note. That’s changing, though.

One of my oldest and dearest friends has resurfaced in my life recently. While we haven’t seen each other in years, she is still as precious to me as ever. She has a very busy life yet finds the time to send me a card on a regular basis. A few days ago, I received a card from her and texted her to say thanks. She responded by saying she hoped it had made me smile. You know what? It really, really did. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this item to review. The opinion shared here is 100% mine.

When I was a kid, I thought I’d never get to be age 16. Driving seemed like a privilege granted only to royalty. Once I hit that age, it seemed I’d never be old enough to be considered an “adult.” Even after college graduation, there were times that my life felt very surreal. I didn’t feel old enough to have a real job; it seemed strange that people entrusted me with a classroom of my own or that I had a house that was paid by my own earnings. Now at age 38, I wonder where that girl went. Those years just flew by. After all, I’ve now been driving for 22 years! While I can forget most of time’s changes as long as I don’t look in the mirror, one thing that’s changed is my sweat.

Back in my younger years, I never really broke a sweat. Sure, if it was aerobics night there might be a little sheen on my skin, but I just never was the person who had sweat dripping on my face. It seems like my body’s chemistry has started changing, though, and one are that is obvious is in my sweat glands. It’s not a pretty topic of discussion, but it needs to be said — it pretty much sucks that my metabolism is at a stand-still while my body temperature is on the rise. That’s why I didn’t expect a crystal deodorant to work for me. I’ve always been curious about those, so when it arrived for review I examined it closely. [Read more…]

It’s here, it’s here — Fashionista time!!  I’ve been looking forward to this event all year.  The first time I participated was in the Spring Fashionista and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately joined the fall event, too.  This year’s giveaway is compiled of 108 blogs and hosted by Still Blonde after all these Years and Modly Chic. Event is co-hosted by K Squared Glamour.     Our Main Event Prizes total $1000. Coupons.com is sponsoring $300 of our Main Event Prize. They want you to know that in addition to their amazing coupons, they also have coupon codes to use when shopping online.  It’s so much fun to see all of the great brands that sponsor this event.  It’s also a great way to make your holiday wish lists and find the perfect gift for the special people in your life.  Ju-Ju-Be is our Lookbook sponsor for the Fall Fashionista Events Giveaway 2013! They have provided us with three of their darling bags. The winner of each bag will be able to choose their colors. Up for grabs is the PackABe , the BeFabulous in Earth Leather, and the BetterBe.

I’m thrilled to share our three fantastic sponsors with you for the Fall Fashionista Giveaway.  Watch for the Sponsor Spotlights to be featured this week!   [Read more…]

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Find&Save.  The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

There used to be a high-endurance shopper in me.  I was giddy with delight at the prospect of staying up all night on Black Friday, braving the lines for Christmas gifts, or just going to the store to browse.  Those were the days.  Now that I’m a busy mom and barely have time to tweeze my eyebrows, shopping is a time-sucking luxury I can’t afford.  Thankfully once the kids are nestled all snug in their beds I can sneak away to the computer and do my shopping online.  It’s not unusual for us to receive a package of toilet paper or tea bags on our front porch.  I buy it online because stopping at yet another store to buy a mundane item might just be the straw that broke this mama’s back.   Sometimes there are in-store-only deals that are too good to miss, but I just don’t want to drag the kids in for that one freebie.  It’s a rare gift when I can shop in a brick-and-mortar store all by myself.  Usually it’s over a lunch break on an inservice day (that hour of solitude is much to precious to waste on a restaurant meal.)  On those days, it’s fun to pop into a store without having to unstrap a carseat or bribe someone in a dressing room.   In that case, I really want to maximize the time available.   Using a site like Find&Save helps me to make the most of those shopping trips.  Find&Save does all the legwork for me.  They scour the deals in my area and let me know where the goods are best found.

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