March 2013
  

Happy Easter!

Click Here for the Sharing Time Linky

Click Here for the CocoRoseCouture Giveaway

Have a Wonderful Easter!

10 Mouth Watering Treats! (Featuring You!)

You guys really have my mouth watering after this month's Sharing Time!

Here are 10 Fabulous looking Treats that were shared this month:

White Chocolate Cheesecake Popcorn at Clarks Condensed



Girl Scout Cookies Milkshake from Your Homebased Mom



Green Eggs and Ham from The Moody Fashionista



Mint Chocolate Fudge at Artsy Fartsy Mama



Chocolate Chip Raspberries at The Pin Junkie



Thing 1 Thing 2 Jello from Kiki's Corner



Peanut Butter Bars at Artsy Fartsy Mama



Peep Someone (printable at Made From Pinterest)



Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie from Your Homebased Mom



Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies from I Dig Pinterest and I Did it Too



Thanks to all of you who have been linking up!
I love to see what fun things you've got going on!

The Continuous Conversion

I recently read Brad Wilcox's new book, The Continuous Conversion.

I was first introduced to Brad Wilcox when I was a teenager and he came all the way to Canada to be at our "Strength for Youth" conference. It's the first memory I have of listening to a motivational speaker, and it definitely left an impression!



A few months ago, I was reminded of Brad when my sister in law shared an address he gave at BYU called His Grace is Sufficient. I really like the way he speaks and the way he is able to put things into words so clearly and explain complicated concepts in a way that makes them become clear.


The Continuous Conversion


I was excited when I heard about his new book, The Continuous Conversion, published by Deseret Book- and that Deseret Book would be sending me a copy.

The Continuous Conversion
The Continous Conversion



I got to work right away, reading it and marking some of my favourite parts :)


The book did not disappoint. :) I really enjoyed it. It puts things into perspective, reminding us that we aren't expected to be perfect- that we're here to become better, and to continuously work on becoming closer to God- and that He is there to help us.

I particularly love the focus on how we are here to "become", not to "be" perfect. This is a process,and we can't do it alone. It's totally OKAY that we're not perfect right now! This is something I need a reminder of every now and then, because I tend to get down on myself when I'm not doing everything I think I should be doing- and when what I am doing isn't being done perfectly. In his book, Brad says:

"Heaven is not a prize for the perfect, but the future home of all who are willing to be perfected."

I like that. :)


After reading this book, I would really like to read his earlier book, The Continuous Atonement, which I am sure would help me to realize new things and understand "old" things better, just as The Continuous Conversion has.

I am looking forward to sharing some other religious books in the coming weeks on this blog- I hope they will be of interest to you! I know that some of you share a faith and religion with me and some do not. This book is largely focused on the gospel and my religion.

cocorose couture (Review, Giveaway, & Discount Code!)

I'm really excited to share a fabulous shop with you today!
When I discovered cocorose couture, I was so excited!

This shop is so fun and colourful.
How could you not love the shop that produced all of this fabulousness?



Bree is the mastermind behind the shop:


Everything she creates is made from carefully selected vintage fabrics. She does beautiful work, and she has such a beautiful attitude as well. She talks about "wearing happiness" and I love that idea. Just a quick look through her shop, and you'll want to order yourself some bright, colourful happiness!

From Birthday Hat Fascinators to Rosette Necklaces and Rosette Headbands and Clips, cocorose couture is full of adorable accessories for little girls!

Another product I'm kind of in love with are these hair clip holders:


(are they gorgeous or what?)

Bree has also gotten into weddings- making accessories and bouquets for bridal parties!

(something like this would've been amazing for a winter wedding like mine was- no wilting!)

So, Bree sent me a couple of headbands for my girls to try. I was so thrilled with them when I opened them! They are adorable, and best of all, I can just put their hair in a really simple hairdo, add the headband, and they look all dressed up! I'm so excited to have these! Of course I had to share a couple of photos with you:


(Ok, I was planning to share a couple of photos, but Katrina was NOT in a good mood when I wanted to take the photos, and for the past couple of days she hasn't been feeling well, so she spent her time in pajamas, with messy hair. So, imagine Katrina looking super cute in a similar, pink version of Talia's headband.. ;)

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You got the hint that I'm a fan of Bree's?
Well, because she's so awesome, she's giving you guys a discount code!
You can use the code RAISINGMEMORIES to get 35% off in her shop for ONE WEEK.
So hurry on over there & find yourself some happiness to wear! ;)

But don't forget to come back and enter this giveaway!
Bree is also going to give one of you a $50 Gift Code to cocorose couture!


There are lots of different ways to enter (and get extra entries if you want to do more things)
Just fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter for your chance to win the gift code!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Win a Mini Tablet!! #LysolHandSoapContest

You’ve heard about Lysol’s No-Touch Hand Soap before on this blog,
but today I’m here to tell you about a fun contest Lysol’s having!

This is a crafty contest that gets your kids involved- I love it!

Here's what we used for ours:



To enter, you decorate a Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap Dispenser for a chance to win a mini tablet!
You can find the rules & regulations here.

Here's how ours turned out!


(I totally gave the girls free reign with the foam stickers
& they went to town creating their own spring- themed soap dispenser! :)

The best part about this?
They're excited to use "THEIR" soap dispenser! :)
Hurray for motivation to wash their hands!!



And HUGE bonus if you WIN! Hurry over & enter on their facebook page !

Disclosure – I am participating in the Kid Who Touches Everything blog tour by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Lysol. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Week in Review & March Sharing Time 2013

Here's March's Sharing Time Linky & a review of this week on the blog!

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At the start of the week, I shared an amusing conversation between the girls.


I posted about 40 Plastic Egg Fillers that are NOT candy.


I posted January's Project 365 Photos (they'll be going up monthly now instead of weekly).


I shared some of our Easter Traditions and asked you about yours.

AND I promised there would be a giveaway yesterday- and there was- but then I took it down. Don't worry- it will be back! It's coming probably on the 25th of this month, now. So, stay tuned! ;)




Fun Easter Traditions- What Are Yours? #KinderMom

So, we’re already nearly half way through March and I haven’t thought much about what I’m going to do with my kids for Easter! We are likely to do something we’ve done before, but I like to add in something new, too. My sister in law suggested making these and I do know we’ll decorate the eggs that Kinder sent us:



Last year our Easter Bunny left us glow-in-the-dark eggs in the backyard while we were getting ready for bed one night! It was so fun to go outside & hunt for the glowing eggs! (that bunny just stuck some glow bracelets inside of the eggs & taped them shut so they wouldn’t pop open)

I like to do as much as I can to teach my kids about the real meaning of Easter in fun ways. So that hopefully by the time Easter rolls around, they aren’t going to forget about it with all the fun of the Easter egg hunts they get to participate in! And I really appreciate how our Easter Bunny will often come on Saturday so that we can focus on the Saviour on Sunday.

That being said, one of my favourite parts of Easter really is watching my girls hunt for eggs- it’s so fun!

Do you have any Easter Traditions that you love?
I would love to hear about them in the comments!


Now, what would a post about Easter be without me letting you know about the great things going on with Kinder this month?! Kinder will be donating $1 to Children’s Miracle Network of Canada for every new friend of their Facebook Page from March 1st to 31st! So if you haven’t already joined their page, this is a great time to do so! Once you’re on their page you can check out their toy gallery and see what their Easter surprises look like- including the larger ones that come in the 100g eggs!



Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Project 365 - January

This year I've decided to take on Project 365.

Here's what I've challenged myself to:



I think I'm going to post these by the month instead of by the week.
So, even though you've seen them weekly for January, here's the first month:



P.S. There's a fun giveaway coming tomorrow, so stay tuned! :)


Non-Candy Egg Fillers :)

Today I'm posting a list of 40 Non-Candy Easter Egg Fillers :)



Check it out over at HowDoesShe! :)

Monday Moments ("food idols")



Katrina: Where's our car?

Talia: Dad has it.

Katrina: What's he doing?

Talia: He's at the store.

Katrina: What's he buying?

Talia: Food items. That means food.

Katrina: Oh! That's like recipes... food idols.

Talia: Not food IDOLS, food ITEMS. Idols is something that people in egypt worship

Katrina: *giggle* that's cool! isn't it?

Week in Review & March Sharing Time 2013

Here's March's Sharing Time Linky- I can't wait to see what you link up this week!

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Don't forget about the Giveaway!.
Go enter for your chance to win a set of HingeHeads! :) There will be FIVE Winners.


This week I shared Katrina's Fabric Paint Family T Shirt.





Fabric Paint Family

One day we were at Michael's and they were clearing out their small neon T-Shirts. I let Katrina choose her favourite colour and we set it aside for later (I knew I had bought some fabric paint another time).



Well, finally one day when I felt "up to the task" of pulling out fabric paint ;) I pulled out the shirt and Katrina set to work on her project!



Again, I love to see what they come up with on their own!
She decided to draw our family- and I LOVE what she came up with!

Next time you're at a craft store, see what's on clearance & ask yourself if you could use it for a fun craft with your kids! :)

Week in Review & March 2013 Sharing Time

Here's March's Sharing Time Linky- I can't wait to see what you link up this week!
I'm hoping for some St. Patrick's Day goodness! :)

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We have a Giveaway!.
Go enter for your chance to win a set of HingeHeads! :) There will be FIVE Winners.


This week I shared how to make these Powdered Sugar Heart Brownie Cupcakes.


..and I shared a funny story about Katrina's thoughts about her future.





HingeHeads Giveaway

People are so creative!
I recently heard about a product called HingeHeads.
Who comes up with these things? What a fun idea!

What is a hingehead? Decorations that fit (magnetically) onto the top (or bottom) of your door hinges!

Here are some of my favourites:



All of their designs are sculpted and casted in Los Angeles, Southern California.
They have over 70 different designs (all of which are limited editions).

Each design comes in three finishes (I have had a chance to sample each of them & they all look great- you can see examples in the photos on the website and choose your favourite).
Finishes available include Antique Pewter, Bronze and Brass.

This is my favourite that I got to review:



But I tell you, the girls love playing with all of them. Even my dad had some fun playing with them ;)
They win points for having magnets in them- you can do fun things with them ;)

I also tried out the bottom finial (shown in the above photo). I think my hinges are smaller than the ones shown in the photo above because my finial doesn't seem to fit as nicely on the bottom of my hinge- it seems bigger than the hinge and sticks out more on one side. However, that is only noticable if you're looking really closely, so I'd say that's a small negative.

Overall, what a clever and fun little decoration. I think these would make a cute gift for one of those people that seems to have everything they need/want- bonus if you can find a design that would be especially meaningful. (My husband thinks it'd be cool if they made chess pieces.. and maybe they will eventually ;)

5 of you will win a set- you can choose either top/top or top/bottom.
This giveaway is open Worldwide! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends on Friday, March 15th, 2013.

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