Giveaway

Hi Everyone! I am so honored to be here with you today. Erin has such a wonderful blog!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Cat and I married my college sweetheart, Richard, back in 2005.


We have 3 adorable, energetic little kids. (squirmy baby L has been the model for all my ventures).


Let me tell you - it has been a long, hot summer, and I am so ready for fall! How about y'all?


I am so blessed to be able to stay home full time with my kids. In my 'spare' time I write a little blog called

There, I share Stuff I Love, Stuff I Don't Love, Books Of The Week, Recipes, and whatever else (charities, events, giveaways, great deals, ideas) happens to be on my mind. We also have a forum for you all to ask questions, post recipes and share your own opinions.

If that doesn't keep me busy enough, I also sell some of my crafts at my shop

And I am thrilled to be able to give away a couple of my items to you all!

The winner will receive both this framed 8x10 sunflower print

and this purple flowered necklace

I am grateful to you all and best of luck!!

New Launch coming soon

I am finally getting some free time freed up so I'm looking forward to working more on this blog. Keep your eyes out for the big launch. I'm planning some fun giveaways along with some regular weekly posts. I'll be covering things such as Stuff I Love, Stuff I Don't Love, Author (or book) Of The Week, Best Recipes and more! Stay tuned, I'll be back soon :D

p.s. if there's anything you'd like to see me address, just let me know!

Huge giveaway!

Laura Winslow Photography is having a massive giveaway - just in time for mother's day. If you love boutiques (and who doesn't), you'll love this giveaway. And the best part is, there are 15 ways to enter!

Go to this link: http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2011/04/28/laura-winslow-photography-presents-mamas-rock-giveaway-2011-over-6500-to-one-winner/

and check out all the details. Once winner will receive $6500 in boutique prizes!! Amazing!

Ebook

There's a new ebook coming out that I'm very excited to read. Organization is something I'm a little obsessed with, but definitely don't have time for these days with three tiny kids to care for. The book 31 Days to Clean – Having a Martha House the Mary Way sounds right up my alley. I could use all the help I can get in keeping my house clean - and goodness knows that sometimes my Martha personality gets in the way of the Mary hospitality I ought to have. The author is giving away free copies of the ebook if you tweet, facebook or blog about it and email her the link (tonight only). Sounds like a great deal to me! So follow the link and get yourself organized as well!!

Kangaroo Climber

In our house, the Step 2 Kangaroo Climber has been a sanity saver. Before we were graciously gifted this climber, my two monkey boys climbed, well, everything. The couch, the back of the potty, the dining room table, the walls.... you name it. Not only did they climb, they fell off of everything as well. Now that we have this climber, they do significantly less climbing on the 'forbidden' items and spend large quantities of time scaling the walls of their 'house' and sliding down the slide. Today, they covered the top with a sheet and have been making home repairs on and playing hide and seek in their new fort. If you've got little climbers like I do, you will not regret adding this to your Christmas list - even if it does take up a bit of space. Thank you, Step 2, for saving my sanity (and possibly a couple of limbs).

Purex Complete Crystals Softener

I was recently given a chance to try out the new Purex Complete Crystals Softener for my laundry. Overall, I was quite impressed. I've never really used fabric softeners - the soupy liquids always made a mess and I hated having to watch for just the right cycle to drop them in. These crystals, however, make fabric softening a synch.

Purex Crystals are different from your ordinary fabric softeners for several reasons. First of all, they aren't oil based like regular softeners. They come in a convenient crystal form - which means less mess when pouring. It also means that they don't coat your fabrics in oil - perfect for things like towels and flame retardant clothes that ordinarily can't be washed with fabric softeners. They are also added at the beginning of the wash cycle right along with the detergent so you can start a wash and walk away.

I haven't noticed that my fabrics really feel much softer after using the crystals but they are certainly free of static and the spicy/flowery scent is really very nice. I only used half the recommended amount, however, because the scent was a little overpowering when I used a whole dose. All in all I'd definitely recommend using these crystals for their ease and their pleasant, fresh scent.

Money Saving Sites

We all love saving money - but sometimes it's difficult, especially when we're tight on time. Here are some of my favorite sites for saving money on everything from clothes to groceries to home decor.

If you like to DIY: These sites offer great tutorials on making your own clothes and decorations as well as an occasional (yummy) recipe or two.
Make It and Love It
HoneyBear Lane

If you're on Facebook: These pages will post great deals right to your news feed. Don't forget to check out their blogs/websites for even more money saving tips.

Jessica's Coupons
Faithful Provisions
Posh on a Budget
Faithfully Free
Wichita Kids Eat Free
Rose Knows Coupons
Adventures In Savings
Saving and Giving
Wichita Coupons
Money Saving Mom
The Frugal Girls

If you like to have parties: Try joining one of these programs. You can apply to host a party in your own home - the party packs are free and you get tons of great products to try yourself and pass on to friends. You will have to provide feedback, but it only takes a minute.
Moms Meet
Vocalpoint
House Party

If you want to save on food: These sites have great printable coupons and most also have online coupon codes as well. There is some overlap among most of the sites, but each has its own unique benefits.
Mambo Sprouts has lots of organic and all natural coupons
Commonkindness donates to your favorite charities for each coupon you print
coupons.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com all post lots of coupons for every day foods and household items

If you're into designer stuff: Consider joining one of these 'invitation only' discount sites. You get access to up to 70% off designer products (everything from cookware to decor to clothing to toys).
zulilly
totsy
ideeli
ruelala
haute look
guilt group
the mini social
no more rack

If you formula feed: Sign up on the manufacturers' websites for free samples. If you join Similac's Gold program you'll receive up to 3 coupons for free formula (the big cans) among other perks.

If you spend a lot of time on the web: Check out swagbucks.com. You can earn points for surfing the web, watching videos, playing games, making purchases, using coupons, and many other activities you're probably doing anyway. 450 points gets you a $5 Amazon gift card and you can easily earn 3-5 cards/month. So check it out and sign up!
If you use this link you'll earn me some points, too - but I promise, I wouldn't recommend it if it weren't fantastic.
or check out their facebook page

If you're ok with secondhand:
Craigslist is an online classified site. Check your local listing, or anywhere in the country! (I recently found my 3 yr old's entire summer wardrobe for $65 on Craigslist - most of it in new or like-new condition).
Freecycle is a great place to find items that people are giving away for free. Sometimes it's junk, but sometimes you can score a real deal.
Shop Good Will is a site dedicated to selling donated items - much like your local Good Will store.

Happy saving, everyone!