This Week In A Nutshell!

*We are going camping today!!! Are we crazy to take a 2 year-old and a 4 month-old camping in a tent? Or are we adventurous and tons of fun? What do you think???

*Even though I'm a little worried about the kids not sleeping. . . and Natalie waking up Kirsten and keeping everyone else at the campsite awake as well. . . I'm really excited!!! We haven't gone camping since before we had any kids, and I have really missed it. I've missed the campfires. . . the s'mores. . . roasting hot dogs. . . cuddling up in a sleeping bag. . . getting away from all the modern-day stuff and just spending time with the trees and the stars.

*We'll be camping in Wenatchee National Forest, about an hour and a half away. We're going with three other families from our ward, and I'm really looking forward to spending time with everyone and getting to know them better. Nothing brings you closer to people than roughing it for a couple days!

*It will be a little nuts trying to get everything packed up in the car and ready to go, especially since Stephen is going to work in the morning for a half day. I've got a list a mile long, about half the stuff packed already, and a LOT left to get done! I went grocery shopping tonight, and filled the cart higher than I have in a very long time. So what is it about going camping that makes you want to take along every yummy thing you can think of in case you might want to eat it??? We have enough food to feed an army of campers!

*I hope our Queen air mattress and the Pack-n-Play both fit inside the tent we're borrowing, because they wouldn't both fit in ours!

*On a different note. . . Natalie is seriously losing all of her hair! She was born with lots more than what she has now, and it seems to be falling out more and more every day. She has a bald spot on the back of her head too. I always heard that most babies lose their hair and then it grows in a different color, but Kirsten never lost ANY of hers so I never knew what that was like until now!
*Before I left tonight to go teach my harp lesson, I was saying bye to Kirsten and she said, "Don't go, please." It took me by surprise! I still went, and she was fine with it. Such a polite girl!

*Kirsten's new favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz. She asks for it every day this week, and jabbers on and on about Dorothy, Witch, Scary (Scarecrow), Man (Tin Man), and Tigey (Lion). She actually really likes the Wicked Witch, and loves the songs.

*Wish me luck on our camping adventure! I hope it's awesome. . . but if it's not, at least we'll have some good stories to tell about it.

Pippers America Review and Giveaway!!!

I am soooooo excited about this giveaway!!!

Pippers America is such a beautiful clothing store. I buy a lot of my daughters' clothing from Gymboree, and while I love their outfits it's extremely common to see other children wearing the exact same outfits as mine. I love finding unique and gorgeous kid's clothing that no other kids will be wearing. Pippers America creates quality clothing that's inspired by old photos and postcards, vintage colors and fabrics, and their own creativity. I love the styles and the classic looks in this beautiful clothing line. And they will never go out of style.

They sent this Party Dress for Kirsten. Simple, gorgeous, and just so fresh and youthful!

She wore this dress to church, and it would also be perfect for a summer picnic!

The quality of their clothing is really top-notch! The fabrics are soft and adorable, and they have plenty of room in them so kids will be able to wear them for a long time.
My new favorite thing for Kirsten to wear on a cool day is this Snap Cardigan, made of terry and velour with pearl buttons. And I adore the vintage-style fabric on the Pippers pants. They have huge pockets too, to hold all of Kirsten's treasures.
I have washed all of these outfits, and they hold up extremely well and look just as good after the cycle was done. I always judge clothes by how well they hold up to being washed. These pass the test and the fabrics stay extra-soft!

This wonderful company sent my little Natalie baby her own Snap Cardigan, Lace Tank, and Pipsqueaks pants. They're a bit big on her at the moment, but I couldn't get over how cute she looked in the outfit!

Pippers America has offered an extremely generous giveaway to one of my readers! The winner will receive an entire Terry Beach Outfit that can be worn by boys or girls, with a combined value of $113!!!

The Beach Outfit includes the following:

-1 Kangaroo Hoody in White (so it will match absolutely EVERYTHING and be worn by girls or boys):

-Pair of Clamdigger Pants in White:

-1 Stripey Shirt, in brown or navy:

The winner can choose their size, anything from 6 months up to size 12!!!
Don't you just want to dress your kids up in these clothes and take them to Cape Cod or Nantucket? I know I do! It's the first time I've ever seen such cute, sophisticated, classic beachwear for kids.
Even if you don't have your own kids, enter this awesome giveaway and give the clothing as gifts! And I love that the outfit can be used by boys or girls!

Here's how to enter (this one's a little bit different!):
*You MUST click on this link:
http://www.pippersamerica.com/newsletter_veaterfam.shtml

Once you're there, fill out your information. (This is important, and if you don't click the link and enter your info directly from there, you will not be entered to win!)

*Leave me a comment on this post letting me know you entered.
And that's it!!!
Totally easy, and there are no extra entries for this one.

*This giveaway will run until September 10'th, and then a winner be chosen in a random drawing. Good luck winning this gorgeous outfit!!!

*Pippers America is also having a Summer Sale! Use the coupon code: SUM4SALE at checkout to save 40% off everything!

Adorable Etsy Shop. . . Festive Frills Review and Giveaway!!!

Get ready for some more adorable flowers. . . Festive Frills makes such darling felt flowers for little girls to wear in their hair. I am in love with her headbands! This one she sent for Kirsten to wear is fit for a woodland fairy! I love the unique design, and the cute leaves mixed with the flowers.

Kirsten got a big smile on her face and said, "Floweys!" as soon as she saw it. She was thrilled to wear it on her head!

Her little clips are just cute as can be.

And I love the gorgeous colors on this blue headband! Blue hair accessories are hard to find, and this is the prettiest blue one I've seen!

My favorite things about Festive Frills:
*She has really good prices! Felt flower clippies are only $3, and most of her headbands are $8.
*There's a nice variety to choose from! The pink flower headband Kirsten was wearing is on a fabric-covered skinny headband, and the blue one is attached to a soft, stretchy headband.
*The quality is wonderful and every item is handmade with lots of attention to detail.
*She loves to make custom orders!

I love how she also sent a cute clip for Natalie. I attached this little snap clippie to a headband I already owned, and she looks adorable in it! It's just the right size for a little baby head.

Festive Frills is giving away any felt headband of the winner's choice!!!
She has so many unique and adorable headbands to choose from, like this Sunny Summer Flower Band:

I also love the bright colors on the Lemonade Flower headband:

Here's how to enter:
*Visit her shop and leave me a comment on this post telling me which design is your favorite!

Get those awesome extra entries when you:
1. Follow my blog!
2. Heart her shop on Etsy and let me know you did it.
3. Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link to this post.
4. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook with a link.
5. Tweet about this giveaway.

*Please leave me a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will close on September 10'th. Good luck!!!

Cutie Cutie Kirsten!

Kirsten has been home from her California vacation for over a month now, and we've been having a ton of fun! Kirsten has learned SO much and she's just growing in leaps and bounds every single day! I love her so much!
Yesterday I told Stephen, "As long as she's not crying. . . Kirsten is so much fun!!!"

*She's starting to learn colors! But it's hilarious, because every time we ask her, "Kirsten, what color is this?" she promptly says, "Blue!" It doesn't matter what it is, it's always Blue! I guess it's safe to assume her favorite color is blue?

*She's also learning shapes, and when she sees a triangle she says, "Equal sides!" She learned this while she was in California, but my parents didn't teach it to her, so nobody knows exactly where she learned that triangles have equal sides. Sometimes she even says, "Three equal sides!"

*She loves Natalie now! Thank goodness! She calls her "Baby Natawee" and always asks where she is, is the first to notice when "baby is cwying", and even knows how to make her laugh now! She'll also play with her. When Natalie is in her carseat, Kirsten will say "Where Natalie?" and then pull back the sunshade cover and say, "Boo Natalie!"
This is such an improvement and tons of fun!!!

*Every word that ends with "er" is pronounced "y" by Kirsten now. So shower is "showey", floor is "floey", door is "doey", flowers are "floweys." And she is obsessed with the "floweys" that grandma helped her plant in our front yard. Rain or shine, all day long she asks to go outside and "diggy the seeds" with garden tools.

*She's still afraid of little kids, and since she was gone for such a long time she's had to get used to everyone again, even our good friends. She's such a fearless daredevil when it comes to lots of things, it's just crazy that a little toddler will frighten her to death!

*She loves to go inside our glass-doored shower ("showey") when the water's off and take our squeegy and "clean" the shower doors. She says, "All clean up with soap!"

*I get such a kick out of her little sentences! Another recent sentence is "Can you turn the fan off please?" or "Turn the light on please!"

*She gets extremely excited over the following things:
-Fire
-Balloons
-Church (she usually asks to go there at least once every day. Even though she cries if we try to leave her in nursery by herself. . . go figure!)
-Shoes
-Hats
-Songs (a very common phrase from her is "More songs?")
-Dancing
-Fruit
-Horsies
-Bouncing and jumping
-Slides
-Sitting in the front seat of the car, while holding the keys
-Bubbles

*We taught her how old she is! If we ask how old she is, she says "Two!" and tries to hold up two fingers. She usually holds up more like four fingers, but we're getting there!

*Another recent thing is she always wants to be sung a song at bedtime, before she goes to sleep. She usually asks for "Twinkle Twinkle."

I love my little girl!
I'm constantly being amazed by how fast she is learning and growing.
I write these cute details down so I will never, ever forget them.

Ringley Review and Giveaway!!!

Anyone who has read my blog or my Facebook lately (or been around me!) probably knows that I currently am the mother of a teething baby. A teething baby who is NOT taking to teething very well. The poor girl is constantly drooling, chewing on everything, and just seems in pain! We all know there's no quick fix for teething and you just have to ride it out, but I did get to review a really great teething toy:

The Ringley Natural Teething Toy is created in Canada, and it's made of two simple teething tools: untreated Maple wood and 100% Organic cotton terrycloth.

My favorite things about the Ringley:

*The design is so smart, because it's really easy for a young baby to grab onto and hold! Natalie is barely 4 months old, so she has trouble holding onto certain teething toys. But she can easily grab and hold the Ringley, and she loves to gnaw on both the wood and the cloth.

*The organic terrycloth is really soft!

*I like how you can get the terrycloth fabric wet, which helps Natalie's sore gums even more. You can even get it wet and stick it in the fridge or freezer, so your baby can get some extra soothing relief.

*It's made free from dye and without harmful chemicals, so you know it's completely safe for your baby.

The creator of Ringley is a mom herself, who found a real need for an all-natural teething toy that would meet her child's ever-changing teething needs. And she wants to give away one Ringley Teething Toy to one of my readers!!!

Here's how to enter:
*Visit the Ringley website and leave me a comment on this post telling me one thing you love about the Ringley Teething Toy.

Get extra entries when you. . .
1. Follow my blog!
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to me.
3. Mention this giveaway on Facebook with a link to me.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Go here to vote for her for the SavvyMom Entrepreneur of 2009 Award and let me know that you voted!

*Please leave me a separate comment for each entry! This giveaway will close on September 8'th. Good luck!!!

Happy Green Bee Review!

Happy Green Bee is an organic kid's clothing shop with a great philosophy: "Clothing that is comfortable, colorful, playful, and ecologically responsible."

Roxanne Quimby, owner and creator, says this about her clothing line. . .
"We created Happy Green Bee so that a child can be a child, first and foremost. By using organic cotton, a comfortable and practical fabric, and simple bee-striped patterns, children feel as comfortable as they look while their parents take a small step in making a big difference in the environment their children live in."

Here's my 2 year-old, Kirsten, playing with my harp in the outfit we received from Happy Green Bee. (Yeah, the harp is pretty fascinating to her. . . mostly she tries to climb it! Which is why I usually keep it covered up!)

The outfit is AWESOME!

My favorite things about Happy Green Bee:

*The fabric is soooooo incredibly soft. As soon as I got them out of the packaging I was wishing they sold clothing in adult sizes. I want clothing that comfortable for myself too!!!

*The fabric is also stretchy and allows for lots of flexibility and ease of movement.

*The organic cotton these clothes are created from does not retain any toxic residues, and is a pure, natural, and breathable fiber. It really helps on sensitive skin that is prone to eczema and rashes.

*I love the bright, happy colors!

*They have a really great factory store where they list items they're almost out of and you can buy them for rock-bottom prices! Right now they have dresses for $7, striped leggings for $6, and cute ruffled chemises for $8! I wish more clothing stores would do this!

Good to know: The sizing for the tops runs quite a bit smaller than the sizing for the shorts. I got the tank top in XLarge for Kirsten (even though the website says that size is for 4 year-olds) and the shorts in Large. The tank top fits her well, but the shorts are pretty huge on her, even though I bought the shorts in a smaller size than the shirt. So keep that in mind!

The item I'm coveting the most from their site:
*This reversible hoodie! Not only is it adorable, I love the fact that it's actually reversible. How many times a day do babies and toddlers stain their clothing while you're out for the day? I'd love to just be able to turn the hoodie inside out and have it look fresh and clean! I really want it in Sky, pictured below. It would work well for a girl or a boy!

They have a huge variety of clothing styles, from hats to dresses and kimono tops. I adore the hat!

Happy Green Bee has a great coupon code to share. . . 15% off your entire order (excluding factory store items) when you use this code: HGBBLOG

Flexflops Review!

I am completely addicted to travel. And also to flip-flops. So I was thrilled to receive these awesome Flexflops to review!
They come in tons of different designs, and I picked the World Traveler because that's SO me!

Flexflops are such an ingenious idea! These cute, flexible flip-flops fold in half to fit in the matching makeup-style zip pouch, so you can tote them around with you anywhere! The zip pouch is really small and would easily fit inside a purse or bag. I can think of a whole bunch of uses for these flexflops, including:
*Take them with you to get your pedicure, and wear them while your toes are drying!
*Take them with you to work, so you can change out of your uncomfortable shoes as soon as your workday ends.
*Take them any time you'll be in heels for more than an hour. After you ditch the heels, you can wear these and your feet will thank you!
*Take them to the airport!
*Keep them with you in the car
*Take them with you to the gym, so you can change out of the smelly socks and shoes as soon as your workout is done
*Take them to amusement parks! Everyone's had to walk around all day in soaking wet shoes and socks, thanks to a water ride. Wear these on the water rides, and they'll dry really fast! Then you can wear your regular shoes for the rest of the day. (I'm totally doing this next time I go to a theme park!)

Flexflops come in a bunch of colors, and your choice of three fabrics- terry, twill, or microfiber. The ones I got are made of terry, and the top strap is a little itchy. These aren't the best things to wear for extended periods of time. But they're really not supposed to be the most supportive, comfortable things you'll ever wear. They're supposed to be portable, emergency flip-flops, and they fit that bill perfectly!

I wish I had known about these when I got married. . . these would make adorable and super functional bridesmaids gifts!

They will also create a custom design, or personalize the pouches for you!
I think my favorite thing is the adorable pouch. It's SO cute, and if you don't need to take the flexflops with you, you can use the pouch by itself to carry other stuff!

They also sell really cool Emergency Gift Packs, in the fun zip pouches.
I'd love to have this Mom On the Go pack:

I also love the Jet-Setter Travel pack! The blinged-out eye mask would be perfect for the airplane or a too-bright hotel room.

And the Camp Emergency pack would be great to take camping, or to send with your kid to camp. It's cute and small, so they're not going to feel like a nerd carrying a big emergency kit around, and they'd be ready for small emergencies.

Check out their website to buy these awesome products! And use the coupon code: TWITTER for 10% off!

Winners of Some Popular Giveaways!

WOW, everyone loves the jewelry giveaways!
And why not??? The chance to win gorgeous jewelry for free is pretty awesome! Don't you just love blogs? Giveaways were something I had never even HEARD of a couple of years ago.

So here are our newest winners:

*Winner of the Fairest of Them All necklace from Ampersand Designs is. . . #14!
Kerrie said...
And, now I'm following you. (PS: I always just link to you from my blogroll, so never thought to "follow.") Great giveaway!

*Winner of the Pretty Peacock Sparklette Taglette is. . . #15!
brandon and jakell said...
I love: The Perfect Circle Pendant
" a mothers love has no end.."
very pretty!!!!!!!

*Winner of the Tracie Nicole Designs Silver Dragonfly Pendant Necklace (by FAR my most popular giveaway so far with 244 entries!!!) is. . . #106!
Kristy said... Favorited her shop on Etsy!

*The TWO winners for the $25 gift certificate to Beach Bug Swimwear are. . . #12 and #85!
mom2anutball said... I follow your blog!
lil miss' mama said...
I like that the swim wear is so UV protective--we don't own any of these new-fangled suits yet!


Thank you SO much to everyone who entered my giveaways and for the companies and designers who sponsored the prizes. You have all helped my blog to grow so fast it blows my mind! Less than one month ago, I was trying to get to 100 followers and now I have almost 200! Thank you so much!

Adorable Etsy Shop. . . Azure Sky Creations Review and Giveaway!!!

Azure Sky Creations is honestly one of the cutest Etsy shops I've seen! Kim, the owner and creator of the shop, makes such precious and gorgeous hair accessories for little girls. They are all inspired by her own daughters, Azure and Skyla, and her shop is named after them. She finds lots of joy in raising them, and in creating "Handmade Lovelies for Your Little Princess."

And my little Princesses DO look adorable in them!
This felt Bella flower she made for Kirsten is just the sweetest thing! It looks perfect with her casual outfits, but would also look wonderful all dressed up for church!

For Natalie, she made the Melanie flower. I love the bling in the middle!
I also love the stretchy elastic headband that the flower clips right onto. It's such a soft headband and doesn't leave indentations on Natalie's head like some headbands do.

My favorite things about Azure Sky Creations:

*Her prices are AMAZING! I seriously want to buy out her entire store! The Melanie flower Natalie is wearing is only $3.00! The headbands come in a set of THREE for $3.50, and the Bella flower that Kirsten is wearing is $4.25. I love having a huge variety of accessories to choose from, and at prices like these you can afford to really stock up!

*The quality and attention to detail on these clips are really impressive. They are every bit as gorgeous and well-made as clips sold in boutiques for $15 each!

*I love the no-slip grip on the inside. They really stay put, even on very fine hair!

*The packaging is totally cute and gift-ready! These would make stunning baby shower gifts.

*All of the clips are so versatile! They can be worn by themselves, or attached to an infant headband or beanie.

*Kim is so sweet. Even though I've only had a few email conversations with her, I feel like we've been friends for a long time!

*All the unique and beautiful flowers! Anyone who reads my blog knows that I am slightly obsessed with putting flowers on my girls' heads. I want to own every single one of her flowers! I'm having visions of entire rainbows of flower clips, spilling out of our drawers.
Here are the ones I'm the most obsessed with, although it's hard to choose:

Paris.
I am buying this one, pronto! It makes such a gorgeous statement!
Plus it's only $3.00! And it's over 5", so it's not a small flower.

Michelle.
So bright and vibrant!

Natalie.
Yes, this is my baby's name, so I'm a little biased. But I would love this flower no matter what it was named.

Lily.
This one would match everything.
Simply gorgeous, and $2.75!

Lindsey.
Such a brilliant shade of blue! This would make Kirsten's blue eyes really stand out!

Molly Piggies Set.
These are sooooo sweet, and they make me happy just to look at them!

Courtney Piggies Set.
Totally in love with them!

So here's the great news. . . Azure Sky Creations is giving away $10 gift certificates to her shop to three winners!!!
That's right. . . your odds of winning just went up!

Here's how to enter:
*Visit her shop and leave me a comment on this post telling me which clip you love the most!

And get extra entries when you:
1. Follow my blog!
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to me!
3. Mention this giveaway on Facebook with a link to me.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Heart her shop on Etsy.

*Please leave me a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will close on September 5'th. Good luck!!!

But we're not done yet. . . Azure Sky Creations has an amazing discount for my readers on her already fabulous prices!
She's offering Buy Four Get One Free!
*This discount can also be doubled as much as you want, so if you buy eight you get two free. Just convo her on Etsy and tell her which clips you want with the coupon code: BUY4GET1. She will set up a custom order for you with the discount built in!
Or you can order as usual, put BUY4GET1 in the Notes to Seller section, and she will send you a refund through Paypal for the amount of the free clips.
You know I'm going to be all over this one!
This discount will run for the duration of the giveaway, and it will end on September 5'th.

Poor Little Teether Baby!

Natalie is one VERY happy baby.
But even happy babies are hit by the massive case of fussiness I like to call "the teethes." Poor little one! She's woken up several times tonight already and from her naps today, screeching in pain! When I pick her up, she soaks my shoulder with drool in half a second. She's constantly chewing on her hands, blankets, anything she can get her mouth on, but usually doesn't want a binky.

I always feel so helpless when my babies are teething! You can try Tylenol, teething gel, teething tablets and it might help a little bit. . . but growing teeth sure is a nasty business!

Adorable Etsy Shop. . . Crystal B. Giveaway!!!

Crystal B. has such an elegant Etsy shop, and she wants to give away one pair of handmade earrings to one of my readers!!! And the winner gets to choose which pair they want! SO exciting!

If I could win, I think I might choose these Vintage Estee earrings. . .

Or the Nyla are beautiful too. . .

I love how all of her pieces are named after women. These bright, cheery yellow flowers are called Mrs. Larsen. They would look gorgeous with a black dress!

Hermionie is such a cute pair!

And Fancy is stunning!

If you want to win a beautiful pair of vintage earrings, here's how to enter:
*Visit Crystal B's shop and leave me a comment on this post telling me which pair of earrings is your favorite.

Get extra entries when you:
1. Follow my blog!
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to me.
3. Mention this giveaway on Facebook with a link.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Heart her shop on Etsy.

*Please leave me a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will close on September 3'rd. Good luck!!!
Also, if you want to make any purchase from her shop, just mention my blog or say "Ashley sent me" in the convo area and she will give you 10% off your order!

Adorable Etsy Shop. . . CutSewRepeat Review and Giveaway!

My friend Allison is so talented!
She has the most adorable Etsy shop called CutSewRepeat, where she showcases all of her enviable skills with a needle and thread.
She made this custom-appliqued onesie for Natalie with her initial on it. Isn't it too cute for words? I adore the color combination of brown and sage green!

The customized onesie comes with this fabric flower, and you can choose whether you want a clip back, pin back, or headband. I chose a clip back for mine so I could attach it to a headband. I seriously love this flower! It's SO unique! Natalie looks adorable in it, and I'd even wear it myself!

My favorite things about her shop:
*The huge variety of items! She sells pretty much everything from nursing covers to little chef apron sets.
*All of her designs are hand-stitched and made with beautiful fabrics.
*The creativity and spirit of fun that she infuses into her designs!

The only thing I would change:
*I've got to say it. . . I am not a fan of Gerber onesies. The fabric they're made of is thin and flimsy, and they shrink a lot and don't hold up well in the washer. I would love to see a better quality onesie for these gorgeous designs to be stitched onto!

Here are some of the items I'm loving from her shop-

-I adore the bright, fun colors and animal prints on this tag lovey!

-This superhero cape is so creative! Any little boy would go nuts for it!

-I really need a crayon roll just like this one!

This little chickie appliqued onesie is soooo sweet!

Allison has generously agreed to do a giveaway!!!
The winner will receive:
Either one appliqued onesie of your choice, or two summer flower clips like the one I got. Your choice! Even if you don't have a baby, the flower clips are gorgeous for yourself or for an older child.

Here's how to enter:
*Visit her shop and leave me a comment on this post telling me what your favorite item is from her shop!

Get extra entries if you:
1. Follow my blog!
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog, with a link back to my site.
3. Mention this giveaway on Facebook, and link to me.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Heart her shop on Etsy.

*Please leave me a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway will close on September 2'nd. Good luck!!!