Dr. Dreadful Zombie Candy Review

Nick got a Dr. Dreadful kit from his Aunt Apple for Christmas and he was chomping at the bit to use it. Set up was pretty simple for an adult but might be a challenge for a smaller child, especially the brain assembly.

The first thing we made was the gummy filled brain worm and the spider eye. Measuring was simple since the spoon that comes with the kit is the exact amount needed. I would tell you to make sure it is liquid enough or you will have a hard time getting the gummy mixture from the measuring cup to the injection syringe.

We made zombie skin next which I will say tasted horrible! It was a cool concept but had an off smell and an off taste.

Jill made the zombie barf and we all, even the big boys, took a drink. Let me
Just say the consistency was, well, different but cool none the less.

Last we made the oozing brains. You must use HOT water if you want plot to work correctly. Sour!!!! But as you can see, Joel liked them.

Overall it's a pretty cool toy but is
A little time consuming for a kid.

My Memories Review & Giveaway (Plus Awesome Coupon Code)

My family will tell you I am the first one to grab a camera for the smallest of events. When Joel was little, way back in the dinosaur age before normal folks could afford digital cameras, I was a regular at the local pharmacy having pictures developed but when the digital camera arrived, that all changed. Sure, I still took tons of pictures but instead of ending up in a photo album, they ended up stored in my computer.

I tried my hand at scrapbooking the traditional way. Being that I am slightly crafty and creative I thought it was a great way to preserve my memories. It didn't take long before my craft closet was full of scrapbooking supplies that my daughter, Jillian, is now using for her own adventures. So, the pictures started going back in the computer for only my eyes to see. Thanks to the folks at My Memories I can have the best of both worlds.

My Memories is a company that offers digital scrapbook software. There are so many packages to chose from. After I downloaded my software I could not wait to get started. The options really are endless. The website itself offers tutorials on how to make your own scrapbook pages or their are pre-made pages that you simply insert and tweek your own pictures to your liking.

The folks at My Memories are so sure that you will LOVE their software as much as I do that they are willing to provide you with a $10 discount off My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for MyMemories.com store - a$20 value.

Please use code: STMMMS98694

   

Now for the fun stuff......My Memories is going to give one of our lucky readers their very own set of software so you can create your own memories!

Giveaway ends at midnight on 01/10/2012! Winner will have 48 hours to reply or an alternate winner will be chosen. BE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON ALL ENTRIES!!!


MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to My Memories and let me know which package you would like to have (1 entry)
Follow our blog publicly

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
Like My Memories on Facebook  (1 entry)
Follow My Memories on Twitter  (1 entry)
Follow My Memories Blog    (1 entry)
Follow Us on Facebook (1 entry)
Follow us on twitter (1 entry)
Redeem your $20 code (see above) (1 entry)


All opinions expressed are my own. I was not paid for this review. I did receive software in order to provide you an accurate review based on my opinions.

Spring Shoe Runway Event...Feb 24th...come join us

Yes folks, it's time to start thinking about Spring shoes....yeah! I love sandals and flip flops!



It is a perfect time to showcase your favorite Spring Shoes. Kobiso and Jamie’s Precious Peas are proud to present Spring Shoe Runway Event from Feb 24 12:01 PM EST to Feb 29  at 12:01 PM EST and is accepting signups now.

This is a great way to boost blog traffic as well as give some great prizes to your readers.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas Carvinal Event

Sure Christmas just ended and in a few days we will be ringing in another new year but,

It is a perfect time to find what gifts you would like to give to your mother. Makobi Scribe is proud to present Mother’s Day Gift Ideas Carnival Event from May 10 12:01 PM EST to May 18  at 12:01 PM EST and is accepting signups now.

The Mother's Day Gift Ideas Carnival Event is a great way to boost blog traffic and host a terrific giveaway for your readers. I am joining in the fun and you should too.

Football...A Southern Family Event During Any Holiday

 

This is my son Jonathan the first year he played football. He is now taller than me and is also 13 years old. I posted this for 2 reasons: 1 because I love pics of my children and 2 because it shows our family's long history with football.

 

Even Jill gets in on the football playing. It is a nice break to get the kids out from in front of their new Xbox. The weather was great today and since it's going to be taking a change for the worst in a few days, it was nice for the kids to get out of the house.

 

Jill with the football. Do you notice she is playing football in snow boots? lol

 Jill and Nick stopped to pose for a picture

And afterward Joel, as usual, was trying to hide from the camera and smoothing down his baby afro that he refuses to cut.

New Purex Ultra Packs

With a family that includes 5 children, 4 of which are boys, I am always on the hunt for affordable laundry detergent for my HE washer that also gets their clothes clean. I have used the Purex brand liquid laundry soap in the past but Purex has come out with something new:

First let me say thank you so much for making something that I can use in my HE washer. I love my washing machine and am always sad when I can't manage to find detergent for my HE washer. The laundry detergent comes in these awesome little packs, pre-measured so you are taking all the guess work out of things and for those of us who are mess challenged, this means not having to worry about spills. These awesome packs even dissolve quickly, even in cold water (what temp I wash in to save energy).

. 

I will be honest, when I read the instructions, which state to place it inside my HE machine and not in the detergent chamber, I was a little skeptical. How was this going to work but I threw the UltraPack into the load of laundry and pressed start. Like it said, it worked amazing. Since each pack is 2x concentrated, I should have never been skeptical. I got Mountain Breeze, which smells great but Purex also has Clean & Clear for those of you that may have allergies.

UltraPacks come in a resealable bag which is a great feature for our family. At times there are 4 people or more in the laundry room at one time and anything can happen. The resealable bags means no bad accidents and it ensures my UltraPacks are there for the next use. I am sure I am going to be doing a giveaway soon and share these awesome Purex UltraPacks with you guys really soon.



"Purex provided a free sample of their UltraPacks laundry detergent so I could write a review, However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own."

The Love Of A Daddy

My husband is not my daughters biological father but at times I think they have a closer bind than she does with her own father. Jill is the only girl, surrounded by a bunch of brothers. There are times when the hubby and I are the ones playing with Jill. Right now
My husband is to king some pretty toes thanks to his Daddy/Daughter time

Reindeer Gift Bags-DIY

Last night I went on a last minute trip to Wal-Mart with the MIL. She was looking for a few last minute gifts and so was I after we found out my SIL and her girlfriend  were coming up to see the family on Saturday. One of the things my MIL was looking for were Christmas gift bags. See, the kids all have stockings at her house too and they get treats in them. When the kids get ready to go home she provides them a cute little Christmas bag to tote their new treasures home in. This year has been a little different, all the Christmas gifts were bought in the past week which means Christmas bags were very picked over if you can find any at all. After feeling defeated, I remember something I saw on Pinterest. Here I come to save the day!!!

Taking some of the lunch bags from the kitchen I went to work with items I already had in my craft drawer. The little antlers are free handed because I didn't have a child with a small enough hand and tracing my hand made them look abnormally large. Since I was out of brown construction paper (Thank you my children) I used another bag to cut the antler and the ears out of. I also free handed the ears since they are the shape of a football and just cut the pink middles smaller. On the antlers, I hot glued pipe cleaners to the back to make them stand up and not droop. The noses are either Red pom pom I glued on or foam circles I also had in my craft drawer. I used a red sharpy to draw the mouths on and then cut some green holly leaves from construction paper for the boys' bags and used pom poms or smaller red foam circles for the holly berries. For the 2 girls, I made sure I put some bling on the reindeers ears and made them some little hairbows. Afterward, I found some cool print from MicroSoft Office and made each of their names.

Needless to say for a very cheap little project, I think they turned out really cute and the MIL liked them so that's what mattered most.

Merry Eve of Christmas Eve Y'all.

European Wax in Addison

Like many ladies in their 30's,  I have started experiencing some hair growth in places I don't really even want to discuss. Sure, I've had my eyebrows waxed for a very long time now and soon my daughter will start getting hers done too but I will be visiting European Wax in Addison on Jan.7th at 11:00 to have some additional services done as part of their Premiere Week. Want to try something new? Call and make your appointment.


European Wax is so confident you will love their wax and service that they are offering free unlimited services to the first 100 guests who make a reservation for Premiere Week, Jan 4th – Jan 10th.
(Valid for the initial appointment only)
This deal is ONLY good at Addison and with the phone number listed.

New Location:
Addison Walk
5000 Beltline Rd, Suite 590
(In Addison Walk Shopping Center, next to Kobe Steaks)

Phone:
972-905-3590

Overview of European Wax services:
ONE OF THE FINEST BODY WAX SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD
Four step process designed to cleanse, protect, wax and rejuvenate the skin

• Contains no alcohol, 100% natural beeswax and the finest polymers
• Applied at warm bath water temperature
• Non-Strip wax formula provides quicker application time
• Much less pain, irritation and redness.  Silky smooth results
• Developed in Paris exclusively for EUROPEAN WAX CENTER

Top Ten Reasons to use European Wax

•  No Double Dipping
• No Recycling Of Wax
• Expensive Wax, Inexpensive Prices
• Clean, Fresh, Sanitary Environment
• Beautiful, Comfortable, Luxurious Facility
• Programs Created To Help You Save
• Products Designed To Help Your Skin
• We Provide Services Everyday
• Qualified, Experienced, Licensed Estheticians
• Educated, Knowledgeable Staff Trained To Understand That Our Guests Are Our #1 Priority

 

 

 

To celebrate the release of a new novel to the Seven Halos series, author Monica Leonelle is doing a Kindle Fire giveaway for Silver Smoke, the first novel in the series! Silver Smoke is the highly-rated (4.8 stars on Amazon) debut novel about the Hallows and the Nephilim, the descendants of archangels and humans. Here's a description of the book:

Brie van Rossum has fame, fortune, and beauty, but there’s one thing she doesn’t have–the name of her mother’s supernatural killer.

The Hallows, descendants of the archangels, don’t think Milena was murdered.. but can Brie trust them when their government, the New Order, wants her dead?

She’d better figure it all out soon…

… because when Brie finds out who she really is, the hunt will begin.

And Milena might not be the only casualty.

Like mother, like daughter…

We'll get to the contest details in a minute, but first, Monica gave us an exclusive excerpt of the book for the blog tour:

When Rykken saw her, he ran to her, hoisting her into his arms. Brie gasped. She wrapped her arms around Rykken’s neck, holding him tight as he spun her around once before setting her down.

He rested his forehead on hers, his hands settled firmly on her waist. His thumbs stroked her back lightly, sending tingles along her spine.

“Brie,” he whispered softly.

She didn’t say anything, just ran her fingers along the tips of his wet hair, catching the drops of water on her hand. The wave was breaking, washing away any lingering resolve she had to distance herself from Rykken. She was too nervous to look at him; her entire body was aware of how close he was. She let her fingers explore his neck, stroking his Adam’s apple, tracing the bone structure of his muscular shoulders.

He kissed her forehead lightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He traced her ear down the side of her face, lifting her chin lightly with his index finger. She finally looked into his eyes. She felt her mouth watering; she could smell the mixture of natural minerals and rain water on his skin.

He cupped her face, staring into her eyes. She knew she should push him away again, like she had the last time, but she couldn’t stand to hurt him. She couldn’t stand to be so close to him, yet so dishonest about what she wanted. What they both wanted.

“You’re shaking,” he observed.

She swallowed. “You make me nervous.”

He smiled slightly. “I’m glad I make you nervous.” He closed his eyes and leaned in, brushing her lips with his.

His lips were salty, delicious. Brie couldn’t breathe. She stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his neck again, pulling him toward her, parting his lips hungrily with hers.

She surprised him, she could tell, and who could blame him? She had put so much emotional distance between them while they were training; but now, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than him. He responded to the pressure of her kisses, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, tracing the lace at the edges of her flimsy camisole.

She felt his fingers on her bare back and let out a soft sigh. He pulled back. “You’re driving me crazy,” he whispered into her mouth.

She touched his face tenderly. “I think I need a breathing break.” She took a step away from him, giving them both a little space. Her entire body tingled; she was so aware of him, and all of a sudden there he was in tight polo briefs. She tried not to gawk at his chiseled body, sculpted from years of water sports. He held both of her hands lightly in his fingers. She swallowed again, trying to steady her breathing.

He beamed at her, his eyes never leaving her face...

CONTEST DATES:

December 20th thru December 31st (12 days long)

EASY WAYS TO ENTER:

• (3 entries) Blog about this contest and forward a link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com (see copy + paste instructions for the contest below)
• (3 entries each) Share a sentence about the book with your Facebook or Twitter followers, and include a link to the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble (you pick). One entry per social media account per day during the contest. Forward a screenshot or link of your sentence+link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com. The links are available below:
  • Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Smoke-Seven-Halos-ebook/dp/B004MMERZ6/ref=sr_1_2
    
  • B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-smoke-monica-leonelle/1103721670?ean=2940012105332&format=nook-book
    

• (10 entries each) Write an honest Amazon and/or B&N review of Silver Smoke and send a link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com

PRIZES!!!

• Grand Prize Winner: Kindle Fire (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
• 2nd Place (two winners): Kindle Touch (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
• 3rd Place (three winners): Kindle (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
• Special Bloggers-Only Winner* (for blogger entrants – must enter via the web form): Kindle Fire (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)

Winners will be selected using Random.org on January 1, 2012 and announced on How To Be An Author by January 2, 2012.

*To enter the Bloggers-Only drawing (in addition to the regular drawing), you must forward a link to your post to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com AND add your name to this bloggers-only email list (not for promotional purposes… just an easy way to distribute promised items): http://forms.aweber.com/form/99/1958024899.htm

Yeah...after a long dry spell, I finally won a blog giveaway!!!

I first discovered blog giveaways about a year and a half ago. At first I was winning all the time and then they started to grown in popularity and become super easy to enter, thank you Rafflecopter and my losing streak began. Thank you for the coupon inserts. I am excited.

Christmas Park and Land of Lights, Athens, TX

Last year Christmas was different. It was the first year of us merging our families and traditions and to be honest, it was not our Christmas with kids so we didn't really get into the whole Christmas lights or any of the other doings but this year we went to Christmas Park and Land of Lights in Athens, TX. Below are the pics from the backseat, my MIL rode in the front seat with my husband.