It's February!!!

For me, January can never end soon enough. February is a much nicer month! Yes, it's still dreary and gray outside and the winter is starting to seem much too long, but at least we've got something to spice it up. . . Valentine's day and (at least in our house) the birthday of yours truly!

And in light of the upcoming day of love, I've pretty much got one thing on my mind:

Can you guess?

Yep, it's chocolate.

And not just any chocolate! My absolute favorite chocolate. Perfect textures, delicious flavors, full of melt-in-your-mouth yumminess!
Stephen knows that when it comes to chocolate, one brand reigns supreme. He wouldn't even dare to think of bringing me some Russell Stover junk. I've taught him well. :)

*In other news. . . I'm so excited about my newest Fabulous Finds Crafts and Recipes Round-Up, full of the cutest Valentine's ideas you've EVER seen! Watch for it on my blog coming soon!

To Camp Or Not To Camp?

I want to hear from all the parents out there. . . do you go camping with babies and young children? Or do you pass on the camping tents and the campfires and the bugs and everything that goes along with it?

We never took Kirsten camping as a baby, but I decided to try it when Kirsten was 2 years old and Natalie was just 4 months old. I say *I* decided to try it because Stephen was kind of against it. He thought it would be too much work and not very enjoyable. And it was difficult, but we also had so much fun and made memories that we will never forget! And really isn't that what life is all about?

Here's Natalie on her first camping trip, at 4 months old! My gosh, she looks SO different now! Isn't it amazing how little hair she had compared to Brooke?

Some things we did that made that camping trip easier were:

1. We overpacked! We took TONS of camping gear with us and every other thing I could think of that we might possibly need, because I figured it was better to be prepared for anything.
2. We slept in two separate tents. One was for Kirsten in her pack 'n play, and the other was for Natalie and me on the air mattress.
3. Since Natalie was only 4 months old, she wasn't crawling yet and was happy to be held. I think it would be much more difficult with a crawling or newly walking baby!
4. We camped with friends. It's more fun that way, plus there are more people around to entertain the kids and help out with anything else you might need.
5. We had multiple camp stoves that we shared between a few families, which made meals very quick and easy to prepare.

Last summer we went camping again, and this time I picked an amazing campsite right on the shores of Steamboat Rock State Park in eastern Washington. The place was stunning!

The awesome thing about camping right by a lake is. . . you can play in the lake all day! The kids had such a blast digging in the sand and playing in the water, and I'd love to go camping at this exact spot again.

I realize that camping with THREE small children will be infinitely harder than it was with two, so one big question on my mind is. . . should I start looking for some campsites to reserve for this summer? What do you think?

Christmas Is Over. . . But Not On My Blog!!!

Oh, my lucky readers. . . you are privileged to experience all the joy and warmth of Christmas on this dreary February day! (Yes, I'm finally getting around to posting our Christmas pictures. Yes, I'm embarrased that it took me until February to do it. Please enjoy them anyway!)

*Once again, the Veater family packed up ALL the gifts and kids and gear and hopped on a non-stop 3 1/2-hour Alaskan Airlines flight to good ol' San Diego. Land of the warm, sunny Christmases. Except we actually got a ton of rain this time on our trip. Funny fact: It was sunny in Seattle the day we left, and we arrived in San Diego to some pouring rain. Then it proceeded to rain for three days straight! For San Diego, that is a serious flood!

*We arrived in San Diego five days before Christmas, and those last few days of shopping and wrapping gifts and baking and visiting with family FLEW by! We made these beautiful cookies with our friends when we were still in Seattle:

*They were delicious! But we didn't end up with enough time to make more cookies in California. What we DID make was our family's very first gingerbread house. I can't be too proud of my mad gingerbread-house-making-skillz, since we bought the kit from Target. ;) Here's what we started with:

After lots of climbing on the table. . . ("Natalie, get down!" for the millionth time)

Some intense concentration. . .

Fighting over the candy. . .

Eating of the frosting. . .

And lots of eating of the candy. . .


We ended up with our finished. . . hmm. . . ermh, masterpiece???

*It was really fun having a whole house full of people for Christmas! My grandparents, my brother, and my aunt and uncle and their four kids PLUS us all staying at my parents' house. Full house, but I love it! The more people the merrier!

*I was thrilled that I actually got all my presents wrapped the day BEFORE Christmas Eve this year! I always end up wrapping on Christmas Eve, so it was nice to get it all done while I watched Home Alone 2 and The Christmas Story.

*We celebrated my Grandma's birthday just three days before Christmas.

*Kirsten and my cousin Caleb (they're almost the exact same age, even though he's technically my cousin) helped my Mom bake a cake for Christmas eve!

*Christmas eve dinner was awesome. Any time you get my Mom and my Grandma in the kitchen cooking up a storm, the results are always amazing. We had prime rib, our family's traditional orange rolls, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, fresh green beans from the garden. Delicious! We topped off the night with my Chocolate Mint Brownies and everyone's favorite homemade Eggnog. Santa got some as well!

*Brooke was so cute on her first Christmas eve!

*She didn't give us a silent night, but we forgive her. You have to forgive an adorable face like that! No choice!

*We had some excited kids on Christmas Eve! Natalie was still too young to understand, but she could sense the excitement in the air.

*Kirsten loved snuggling up with my cousin Rachel, who's pretty much her favorite kid in the world. She attached herself to Rachel the entire time they were visiting, and I asked my Aunt Lani if we could take Rachel home with us to entertain Kirsten ALL the time!

*It was really fun that Kirsten got SO excited about Santa this year. She knew he was going to come down the chimney, and she actually got a little too excited about that part. On Christmas morning she started crying and melting down when she came downstairs, and she kept saying, "He needs to come down the chimney!" No amount of talking we did could convince her that he already came while she was sleeping. She wanted to see him herself!

*Ah, a peaceful, quiet Christmas morning before all the presents are devoured and paper is strewn everywhere. . .

"Can we come downstairs yet???"

*My kids tend to get overwhelmed on Christmas morning, and there's lots of crying. I thought this year would be different, but it was still the same. I managed to get a few pictures of the kids happily opening presents, but most of the morning was just overwhelming for them. What is it about Christmas morning???


*I thought the cutest toy under the tree was the Toddler Cinderella doll that Santa brought for Natalie. Such an adorable doll! Natalie loves her!

*Kirsten's favorite toy was the Squinkies (she calls them "Squishies"). They're also the most problematic toy, because they get scattered absolutely everywhere and Natalie always wants to get into them. They're pretty cute though!

*Of course Brooke slept the morning away, but she had lots of loving people who wanted to hold her!

*Does anybody EVER manage to get a nice, happy family picture in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas morning? Hasn't happened for us yet! Here's this year's attempt. Kirsten wants to be asleep, and the other two are crying. Nice.

*Kirsten really did enjoy the rest of the day. She just loves playing with Rachel and Emily, and they had so much fun together!

*Despite all the hassle of traveling at this time of year, packing all the presents, and getting all that and all the kids on an airplane, it's all completely worth it to spend Christmas in San Diego with our family. The day is filled with so much love, excitement, and warmth, and it was another wonderful Christmas for our family.

Belated Giveaway Winners!

These giveaway winners should have been posted awhile ago. . . Better late than never? That just goes to show what a long Christmas vacation with the world's slowest internet will do for your blogging. I promise to post the next winners as soon as the deadlines end!

Random.org strikes again!

Winner of the Aurora World toy of choice is. . . #45!
stephy905 said... Tweeted

Winner of the Animal Alphabet Blocks from Peaceable Kingdom Press is. . . #30!
Claude said... I'm already a follower via GFC!

Winner of the Natural Mineral Lipstick from the PetalX Etsy shop is. . . #42!
The Kooky Queen--Rachel said...That Mystic purple lipgloss looks pretty from PetalX

Winner of the Leslie Tyler Lip Gloss is. . . #74!
Beth said...I like the no-show colored socks

Winner of the SwirlyDo Hair Ties is. . . #14!
Kara said... I like PetalXDesigns on facebook.

Winner of the $20 gift certificate to Socks4Life is. . . #6!
Bethany said... If I won the Socks4Life gift certificate, I would probably use it to get some Running Mate Women's Striped Socks! I'm a runner, and running socks can get really expensive.

Winner of the Happy Holiday Treats gift package is. . . #5!
Mami2jcn said... tweet

I have contacted all the winners and they have 48 hours to respond or I will choose new winners. Thank you so much to everyone who entered! Keep it coming!

10 Tips!

I'm dreaming of a house with a nice backyard for my kids to run and play in. I'm dreaming of a house with a backyard so that we can have a dog, a picnic table, a swingset, a trampoline, a firepit, and a really gorgeous garden.

I may not have a yard right now or the space for a garden, but there's one thing I'd like to try out in my front entryway. . . using planters to display some beautiful flowers. It seems easy and low-maintenance, totally perfect for me right now! Before I go buy some outdoor planters and flowers, I've been doing some research so I don't kill my little plants.

Here's a sampling of what I've learned. . . 10 tips on using planters in your garden!

1. Use planters to soften hard edges. Place containers where they'll disguise harsh edges or angles, either by direct concealment or by creating a focal point that acts as a distraction.

2. Frame an entry! Doors, gates, and other entrances are natural focal points. Make a great impression by framing them with attractive, colorful containers. I really want to do this around my door! I need to find some really great stone planters and the perfect flowers to go with them!

3. Pots and containers always require more frequent watering than plants in the ground. As the season progresses and your plants mature, their root system will expand and require even more water. Don't wait until you see the plants wilting. Check your containers daily to judge the need for water.

4. Add height! Gardeners often overlook vertical space. Use freestanding or hanging containers to give your garden some three-dimensional color.

5. Provide good drainage. Always have drainage holes or at the very least, a 1-2 inch layer of gravel at the bottom of the container. If you are using a decorative pot without drainage holes, consider planting in a plastic pot with holes that is one size smaller than the decorative pot and using the plastic pot as an insert.

6. Use a good potting soil mix, not garden soil. A mix with peat, perlite or vermiculite will retain moisture longer and yet be well draining. It will also be lighter and won't compact as the season goes on. Using a chunky-style potting mix in container of 5 or more gallons will help the soil mix remain loose even longer.

7. Choose similar plants. Select plants that will be happy with the same amounts of water, sun, heat, and food. Avoid aggressive spreaders that will compete with neighboring plants and consider dwarf varieties.

8. Unify the landscape. Employ a strategy used indoors, where repetition of color unites the decor. Outdoors, use similar or identical containers throughout an area to pull it together.
Isn't this arrangement gorgeous? SO elegant!

9. Balance the sizes. Container gardens look best when the plants are in balance with the container. Try to make sure your tallest plants are not be more than twice the height of the container and that the fullness of the plant material is not more than half the width again as wide.

10. Keep them fresh! Don't be afraid to switch out plant material for the change of season. No plant can go on blooming forever. When one plant starts to fade, look for another to take its place.

Container garden veterans, I'd love to hear from you! What other great tips do you have for me before I start my new little venture?

Fabulous Finds: Some Stuff Worth Mentioning

One of my goals for the new year is to educate myself about things that I don't know much about but should. Here's a few examples:

*I'm really not great at financial stuff. REALLY not. Thank goodness I married a man who's very good at finances and puts up with my ignorance about it. And even though we do own a townhome, I have only a vague understanding about mortgages, home loans, financing, and that tricky thing called refinancing. We've definitely considered refinancing our home but have been freaked out by the out of pocket expenses it requires. A new thing I just learned about is called a Streamline Refinance. I don't really see why we shouldn't try this out. The benefits include no additional paperwork and no out of pocket expenses! I'm really anxious to see if we can lower our interest and our monthly payments. I'd very much love to have extra money to put towards our goal of saving for a bigger house!

Some of my friends who are military wives might be really interested in this. . . the VA Streamline Refinance or the VA cashout refinance. These are for active duty and prior service veterans, and they are at record low levels. Worth checking into for sure!

*Here's another thing I have limited knowledge about. . . electronic stuff. As far as cables and wires that are all tangled up in our TV cabinets, I have absolutely no idea what any of them are for. If my husband were to suddenly disapppear, I'd have to pay somebody to come over and sort through all the cables for me. How sad is that? When we got our HDTV last year, I learned that you actually need special HDMI cables, or else the TV would just show in standard definition. And in my recent quest for knowledge from my husband's brain I learned that you need a DVI to HDMI cable to be able to connect a computer to an HDTV. Confusing to me, yes, but also useful to know!

Oh, and also on my mind. . . are 3D TV's really going to be the new exciting thing??? Is everyone going to have one soon? I can hardly imagine our nice HDTV becoming old technology anytime soon, but it does seem that way in comparison to these Mitsubishi TVs. What do you think?

*Another cool thing. . . I just found GiveawayScout.com. It's a great website that automatically scans your blog for the word "Giveaway", and all your Giveaway posts will appear in their widget and newsfeed. Since I sometimes forget to promote all my giveaways, it's great to see something that will do it automatically! All they require is that you post about it on your blog with a link to them. So whether you want to find out about all the latest giveaways or submit your own, this is a great option!

Fabulous Finds: Enjoy Flameless Candles Review and Giveaway!!!

I seriously LOVE candles. I'm kind of addicted. I love the mood they set in a room. When I have one burning, it instantly makes the room feel cozier and warmer, and just sets such a nice tone for my home. If you've been to my house you know how often I have candles burning, especially at night. I was really excited to review some flameless candles from Enjoy Lighting. I got a set of three in varying heights. Just look at how pretty they are!

Why you'll love Enjoy flameless candles:

-You don't have to worry about children or pets burning themselves or knocking them over! There's also no risk with placing them too close to curtains or furniture. So much safer!

-With my traditional pillar candles, I never end up burning them because they get melted down and no longer look pretty. These last for YEARS! The LED lamp will operate for up to 10 years and they run on batteries.
-These really do look real! The lights flicker, and the pillars are made from real wax!
-You can use them outdoors and the wind won't blow them out.
-One of my favorite features: It has a timer mode! You can set them to flicker for 4, 6, or 8 hours. It's perfect for a high shelf or someplace hard to reach, because you can just set the timer and you won't have to worry about turning them back off. Such a cool feature!

You can choose to buy the candles scented or unscented. *It's worth noting that they are lightly scented, and will not give off a strong fragrance. Mine are vanilla scented but I barely notice the scent. I will continue to use my favorite Bath and Body Works candles because I love the strong scent that comes from those, but I really like combining those with the Enjoy Flameless ones to create even more of a mood in my home!

*The candles come in a whole variety of sizes (they even have flickering tea lights!), and they also come in many different colors and textures to match your decor. I love these textured holiday candles! And you can buy them from some of your everyday stores like Target and Michael's!

One winner will receive a set of three Ivory Smooth Vanilla Scented Pillar Candles just like the set I received!!!

Here's how to enter to win these flameless candles:

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Just leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 10 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Go to the Enjoy Lighting website, and tell me which candle set you'd love to display in your home the most!
3. "Like" Enjoy Lighting on Facebook over here.
4. Go here and follow Enjoy Lighting on Twitter.
5. Answer this question: Have you ever used flameless candles before? Do you like your candles to have a strong fragrance or no scent at all?
6. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
7. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
8. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
9. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
10. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on February 13'th. Good luck!!!
(If you have previously won a giveaway from Enjoy Flameless Candles you will not be eligible to win this one).

My Disclaimer: I received free products in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated and the opinions are mine!

Go Ahead. . . TRY To Watch This Without Smiling!

Aren't baby laughs the cutest thing ever??? Here's Brooke at 2 1/2 months old!
(Make sure you have the volume turned up!)




Stephen posted this video on YouTube with this comment: "As all that have had babies know, they can be difficult and extremely stressful; HOWEVER, it is times like these that make it all worth it."

Adorable Etsy Shop Alert. . . Heavenly Handmade Fashion Giveaway!!!

Fashion accessories for moms, teens, gals, and babies. . . we've got it all covered here! And all handmade??? Yes please!

We've got three separate designs up for grabs in this giveaway, so you'd best get to entering!

Design #1. . . A gorgeous flower headband just perfect for newborn photo shoots from Bellasma! Yep, that's my own precious little Brooke modeling this flower, and you can get one exactly like it!

I love the color of this flower, and I love the thin little headband. The thin band is perfect for photography, since it draws attention to the flower and your baby's sweet face.

Bellasma's Etsy shop is full of beautiful and unique designs that are perfect for photo sessions or to wear every day. My little girls have a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of flowers and hair accessories, and many of the ones sold in Bellasma's shop I've never seen before.
I'm in love with this one! The color is simply delicious!

Oh, and she's got amazing prices! This incredible vintage-inspired headband is only $10. I seriously might order the whole entire shop!

Design #2 is perfect for this time of year. . .
A snuggly pair of hand-knit mittens from Black Capped Crafts!

If you're the winner you can choose a pair of mittens in an adult or child size, and can customize them to be any color you want! I received such a cute little pair to review for my girls. I'm loving the whale adornment on this pair. Simple but oh so cute!

Oh, and add this Honeycomb Cowl to my birthday wish list.
Seriously, love it.
This would add the perfect spot of sunny color to my dark coat in this dreary January weather.

Ready for more sunshine in the dead of winter? Brought to you from the land down under (where it really IS summer right now!) is design #3. . .

A $25 gift certificate for magically funky clothing made in Australia at the EvieGreenPixie Etsy shop!!!

This shop just screams fun! EvieGreenPixie creates unique and one-of-a-kind pieces from a mix of vintage recycled and new fabrics, trim, buttons, you name it. No two pieces are ever the same, and she loves to take custom orders. There's tons of patchwork and quilting done on many of her skirts, and she makes them in all sizes for all ages! Her style is bohemian and eclectic and just SO unique.

Here's how to enter to win all these incredible designs (yes, there will be 3 separate winners!!!):

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 14 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Check out the Bellasma Etsy shop and let me know which of her designs you love the most!
3. Add Bellasma to your Etsy favorites ("Heart" her shop).
4. Let me know what your favorite thing is from the Black Capped Crafts Etsy shop.
5. Add Black Capped Crafts to your Hearted shops on Etsy.
6. Check out the EvieGreenPixie shop over here and let me know which design you like the most.
7. "Heart" EvieGreenPixie on Etsy.
8. Go over here to "Like" EvieGreenPixie on Facebook!
9. Leave me another comment and tell me which of these 3 designs you'd be most excited to win.
10. Talk about this giveaway on your Facebook status and link to this post!
11. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
12. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
13. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
14. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on February 9'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free items in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!

Fun Finds and Adorable Etsy Shops Alert: For New Babies!

*For photography. . .

I've gotten SO many compliments on the adorable pom pom hat Brooke was wearing in her newborn photos. Here's where I got it. . . from Ashleys HomeSpun Etsy shop (not my shop, she just happens to have the same name as me!) If you're looking for all kinds of fun hats and props for a newborn photo shoot, look no further!

Every hat is handmade and her prices are really awesome too! The pom pom hat Brooke is wearing is only $15, and you can choose your own colors! The quality of the hat is wonderful and the yarn is super soft.

*For a gorgeous, eco-friendly baby gift. . .
The Green Ostrich is an entire website completely dedicated to eco-friendly gifts. They have TONS of great stuff, not just for babies but for all aspects of your life! I received this beautiful 4-piece newborn layette set made of organic cotton. The fabric is SO soft and perfect for sensitive baby skin. It also stays soft no matter how many times you wash it. This set would make a perfect gift for any baby shower, and it's gender-neutral as well.

The Green Ostrich website is so full of great finds, like these blocks made from recycled milk cartons!

*For sleeping. . .
Anything that helps a newborn baby to sleep better and longer gets a huge gold star in my book. And swaddling definitely does it! I LOVE the Kiddopotamus velcro swaddle wraps and have been using them for all of my babies with lots of success. I also got to try out a new swaddle wrap for Brooke. . . the Woombie!

Why I like the Woombie:
*It keeps your baby's arms and hands snug and warm inside, so she won't flail around or scratch herself. But it also allows some space for her to gently stretch her limbs. It mimics the womb (hence the name!)
*The cotton is soft and breathable, and prevents overheating.
*The Woombie comes in tons of colors, and several different sizes and fabrics for warmer or cooler weather. The original Woombie sells for $25.99.
*It's the easiest thing ever to use! Just put baby inside it and zip it up!
*It's won awards from PTPA, Moms Best, and Creative Child.

Here's another swaddling option. . .
BabySewPretty is a really cute shop that sells a bunch of handmade, customized outfits for little ones. I was sent one of the handmade Swaddle Blankets to review, and it's really great! Mine doesn't have the cute bunny ears on the top like this one does (such an adorable idea, I love it!), but it does have velcro closures and makes a nice, snug swaddle for my little baby. BabySewPretty loves custom orders and can create something for you in the colors or fabrics of your choice too!

*For your baby's room (or any room where you need a nightlight!). . .
Purely Products Healthy Night Light. This is so cool. . . an air purifier and night light combined! It's an LED night light, so it only costs pennies a year to operate, and the built-in ionizer cleans the air all day and night, whether or not the light is on. It's an automatic on/off light, and cool to the touch. This is by far the coolest night light I've ever found.

It sells for $19.95 or in a 2-pack for $29.95. A portion of every purchase goes to diaperLove- a non-profit organization donating diapers to children in need. (This is a Mama Buzz review, and the product was provided by Purely Products).

*My disclaimer: I was provided with free products to write these reviews. I write honest reviews, and all opinions are my own!