I am so proud of myself because I started my Christmas shopping early this year. One of the best ways to stress yourself out is waiting until the last minute and then going to the store only to find what you need isn't there.
CSN Stores has over 200 specialty stores so you are sure to find things to get your house ready for holiday parties such as contemporary coffee tables, or you could browse through the hundreds of gift ideas. I'm confident that you'll be able to find something for everyone on your list. I recently noticed that they have *really* cute baby girl outfits that go up to size 24 months, so stay tuned for a post from me with Isabella wearing some of them. Seriously, how cute is this?
CSN Stores will be providing me with a gift card for writing this post.
I'll be honest, I've never seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I look forward to seeing it after it comes to Blu-ray on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. The Blu-ray disc includes upgraded 7.1 DTS-HD master audio and new interactive games. An original version of the film on DVD will accompany the all-new re-mastered Blu-ray.
Synopsis:
Based on the children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming, the film tells the story of an eccentric professor (played by Dick Van Dyke) who invents wacky machinery, but can't seem to make ends meet. When he invents a revolutionary car, a foreign government becomes interested in it, and resorts to skullduggery to get their hands on it. The all-time family classic evolves from there and viewers are taken on a magical ride with the professor and loveable motorcar.
The re-mastered version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Blu-ray will feature special interactive features for families everywhere to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes, including an all-new “Toot Sweet Symphony” melody maker, “Remembering Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with Dick Van Dyke, song demos from the Sherman Brothers and a featurette entitled "A Fantasmagorical Motorcar."
Win It!
One of my readers will receive a Blur-ray/DVD combo of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
To enter, tell me what your favorite type of candy is. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post.
4- Follow twoofakind on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: WIN a Blu-ray/DVD combo of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/27oc3j2 #giveaway ends 11/15
5- Place my Holiday Happiness button on your blog. Remember to leave a comment on that post BEFORE the event starts to get even more extra entries into the first holiday giveaways.
6- Place my regular, pink Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House button on your blog.
8- Leave a relevant comment on any non-giveaway post.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on November 15th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US Only.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for the giveaway. I will be receiving a copy for writing this post.
The cake is made with the soccer ball pan and mini ball pan. Wilton sent all of the items that I would need including the gel food coloring for the icing. Here are the body and head ready for icing.
It says you can cover the cake with icing before decorating, but I didn't worry about that step. I made a lot of chocolate icing because I was using it for another project as well. I used the whole bottle of black gel to turn the chocolate icing black. They suggest using a #16 tip, but this was a practice cake for me so I used the #18 tip so it wouldn't take as long. I then put the black icing on.
After that, I mixed the lemon yellow and leaf green gel colors with the buttercream icing to make it this green. I then filled in the rest with the green and viola!
I used this fondant to make the eyes, nose, and joints. You could also use candy and gumballs!
I completely forgot to put the feet and teeth on before taking pictures. I think it looks really cute without feet too!
The eyes had a hard time wanting to stay on so I attached them with toothpicks.
I would say to assemble the legs if you're taking the cake somewhere, but don't attach them until you get there. If they fall over they will mess up the icing. I think this cake is an awesome idea. It could also be used to make a ladybug cake. I've already thought ahead and think lining the mini ball cakes up to make a caterpillar cake would be so adorable!
Not only will this be the hit at any party or event, but it was incredibly fun to make. Evan thought it was "totally awesome", and truly enjoyed making this cake. Again, it was a practice cake so it wasn't my best work, but I had a lot of fun making it!
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to Wilton who supplied the product for the review.
It's Aloha Friday over at An Island Life! Answer my question and make sure you post one on your blog. After that, go relax because today is Friday!!
Do you eat your ice cream out of a bowl or a cup-or the carton?
I almost always eat my ice cream out of a cup-unless I'm eating it over something like brownies. Just curious if I'm the only oddball that prefers it that way. My husband thinks I'm crazy.
Do you dread taking Christmas card pictures as much as I do? I always torture myself and send photo cards. With two toddlers it is almost impossible to get a shot where they both look OK. I took them to have their pictures taken for the 1 and 3 year birthdays and NONE of them turned out good. I still don't know what I'm going to do about that.
One thing is for sure, even if I can't get a good one of both together, I can usually get one of each of them by themselves. I will be using Shutterfly Christmas Cards this year. If I can do the impossible and get a good one of them together and then good individual ones, I am going to go with this peppermint bliss card. It will be cute to have a shot of them together in the middle and then one of each on the sides. The whimsical design of this card is fun for kids.
I will start trying to get pictures soon because who knows how many tries it will take to get the "perfect shots". Be sure to visit Shutterfly - they also have great Christmas present ideas for grandparents. I love giving wall calendars as gifts.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. I will be receiving 50 cards for writing this post.
The Sound Of Music is one of those classics that I'll never get tired of watching over and over again. To celebrate the 45th Anniversary, the five-time Academy Award®-winning movie will have its Blu-ray Disc debut November 2nd. Additionally, a limited edition 24-page book will be available only at Target and will include the film in both DVD and Blu-ray versions, plus feature trivia, rare photos, and more!
Synopsis:
Starring Oscar® winner Julie Andrews in one of her most memorable roles, the film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical follows Maria, a spirited young woman who leaves a convent and becomes a governess to seven unruly children. Her charm and songs soon win the hearts of the children and their father but when Nazi Germany unites with Austria, Maria is forced to attempt a daring escape with her new family.
This Friday, October 29th, the cast of The Sound of Music will be reunited on Oprah, and here is the teaser photo of the cast! (Courtesy of Harpo Inc./All Rights Reserved/George Burns).
I look forward to sharing this classic with my children. It has been many months since I have seen The Sound Of Music and I am already starting to forget parts. This would make a great Christmas gift!
Buy It!
The Sound Of Music will be available on Blu-ray Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Be sure to check out The Sound Of Music facebook page to learn more.
Win It!
Two of my readers will win a Limited Edition Book And Blu-Ray DVD Pack.
To enter, tell me if you have seen The Sound Of Music recently? This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post.
4- Follow twoofakind on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: Win a Limited Edition The Sound Of Music Book, Blu-ray, And DVD set @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/29x8ajl #giveaway has TWO WINNERS
5- Place my Holiday Happiness button on your blog. Remember to leave a comment on that post BEFORE the event starts to get even more extra entries into the first holiday giveaways.
6- Become a fan of The Sound Of Music on Facebook.
8- Leave a relevant comment on any non-giveaway post.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on November 15th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US Only.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for the giveaway. I will be receiving a copy for writing this post.
Professional hard-anodized material provides even heating throughout the pan
Exceptional strength and durable construction
Comfortable contemporary silicone handles
Durable nonstick interior releases food effortlessly and is easy to clean
Glass Lid allows you to monitor foods
Simmer a "stoup" or boil a pound of spaghetti in Rachael Ray's versatile pasta pot. Don't bother breaking long pastas before cooking-this pot's unique oval shape handles them right out of the box. The convenient pour spout lets you drain with ease. Hard-anodized aluminum promotes even heating and resists scratches and scrapes. High-performance nonstick surface releases food cleanly from the pan to the plate. The see-through glass lid with reinforcing stainless steel rims lock in flavor and allow you to monitor the cooking process without releasing moisture. Grippy silicone handles are comfortable in your hand and oven safe to 400°F.
Specifications:
Material: Hard-anodized
Color: Orange
Dimensions: 7" H x 20.6" W x 11.5" D
Capacity: 8-Quart
Cleaning and Care: Recommend washing by hand
Oven safe to 400°F
Lifetime limited warranty
I've never been so in love with a pot. Up until now, I've been mostly using pots that are too small to cook for our growing family. There were only two of us when I first started my collection of pots, and now there are four. I have been wanting an incredibly large pot that I can easily transfer from oven to stove.
I've only had this pot a few months and can't even tell you how often I've used it. I have been so impressed with how much easier it is to boil pasta in this pot. I was having such a hard time boiling lasagna noodles in my old pots. I can even make a casserol right in the pot and throw it in the oven.
When they say non stick, they mean it. I have put this pot through so much and *nothing* has stuck to it. It cleans up amazingly easy and still looks like brand new. It has been my pleasure to add the 8-quart Oval Covered Pasta Pot to my kitchen.
Be sure to visit CSN Stores to view the 200+ specialty stores and all of the products that they offer. You can find something for everyone on your Christmas list! Stay tuned for more reviews of CSN Stores products coming soon!
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to CSN Stores who supplied the product for the review.
I have been a huge fan of Pediped for a while now. I had my first experience with their shoes when Isabella was a baby. I can't even tell you how many compliments I got on how cute she was in her shoes.
Pediped was launched in 2004 by Angela and Brian Edgeworth after searching for the perfect soft-soled shoes for their daughter. They have been officially recognized by the American Podiatric Medical Association for contributing to better foot health. Pediped now has a complete footwear system.
Soft & Flexible - Exceptionally soft, flexible soles and uppers help to provide healthy foot development. Ultra flexible FLEX ZONES provide maximum flexibility and support natural foot motion.
Heel Cushion - Shock absorbing cushions on each heel protect against impact and distribute pressure through-out the foot.
Flex Fit System - pediped Flex ® offer a unique fit system. Each pair comes with an additional 2mm insole to customize the fit so it just right for each child. If the child starts with both insoles, as the child's feet grow the additional insoles may be removed to extend the length of time the child can wear the shoes.
Our Thoughts:
Isabella is just starting to fit into a size 5 and I was sent a size 5.5. It will be a little while before she can fit them well, but I put the 2mm insole that was included so I could make it a tighter fit. As that gets tight, I can take the insole out. The Flex Fit System will allow her to be able to wear the shoes for longer.
I think that this is my favorite style of the Pediped shoes. The soles aren't distracting and since kids' feet grow fast, The Flex Fit System will be perfect. The colors will match so many outfits and she'll get a lot of use out of them.
Isabella has always been a great walker, but Evan was extremely wobbly if the ground was the least bit uneven. The Pediped® Grip ‘n’ Go™ are the perfect shoes for a toddler transitioning from early walking to walking with a more confident stride. Grip ‘n’ Go™, are made with all the benefits of Originals but with thin, flexible rubber soles. The rounded edges mimic the natural shape of a child’s foot and the heel stability and soft toe box allow toddlers to feel and grip the floor. Grip ‘n’ Go™ is ideal for both indoor and outdoor wear.
Be sure to visit Pediped to view their full fall collection. If you like the Pediped collection, be sure to check out Kinderbliss from the founder of Pediped.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for the review.
Christmas is two months away and Evan already has me blasting the Dora The Explorer Christmas CD in the car. They sent us a copy of the cd along with the Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure DVD.
Synopsis:
It’s time to celebrate Nochebuena with Dora in Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure. Filled with original songs and exclusive extra scenes, this Christmas special will become a holiday favorite for the whole family! When Swiper tries to swipe the Christmas Star from Dora’s Nochebuena Party, he lands on Santa’s naughty list. To get back on the nice list, Dora must help Swiper travel to the past, the present, and the future to discover the true spirit of Christmas.
DVD Bonus Features:
· Music Video: “Jingle Bells”
· Music Video: “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
· Behind-the-Scenes Featurette: Young People’s Chorus
This DVD was released October 5th and has a run time of approximately 52 minutes.
Our Thoughts:
Shortly after we got the DVD and CD, we were sent a new case for the DVD that is actually a fun Countdown to Christmas calendar. I look forward to using that with the kids as Christmas gets closer.
Even though Christmas is two months away, Evan is a Dora fan and we've been watching this DVD over and over again. He even wants to listen to the CD every time we get in the car. I'm going to be honest-I hid the CD because in my opinion, Dora's singing voice on the CD is really whiny.
Buy It
The Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure DVD retails for $19.99.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the DVD for review.
Its not very often that a movie completely moves me. Sure, there are many movies that make me emotional, but most don't make me take a deep look inside.
I was recently invited to a screening of The Grace Card that will be in theaters February 25,2011.
If you haven't heard of it, here is a quick Synopsis:
Everything can change in an instant ... and take a lifetime to unravel.
When Mac McDonald loses his son in an accident, the ensuing 17 years of bitterness and pain erodes his love for his family and leaves him angry with God ... and just about everyone else.
Mac's rage stonewalls his career in the police department and makes for a combustible situation when he's partnered with Sam Wright, a rising star on the force who happens to be a part-time pastor and a loving family man.
Mac's home life is as frightening as anything he encounters on the streets of Memphis. Money is tight and emotions run high as he constantly argues with his wife and his surviving son Blake, who is hanging with the wrong crowd and in danger of flunking out of school.
Sam Wright also never expected to be a police officer. He has a calling—to be a minister like his Grandpa George. But leading a small, start-up church doesn't always put enough food on the table for a young family, so Sam doubles as a police officer. With his new promotion to Sergeant, Sam starts questioning if his real calling might actually be police work rather than the pastorate.
Can Mac and Sam somehow join forces to help one another when it's impossible for either of them to look past their differences—especially the most obvious one?
Every day, we have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and heal deep wounds by extending and receiving God's grace. Offer THE GRACE CARD ... and never underestimate the power of God's love.
My Thoughts:
I took my mom as my "date" to the screening of The Grace Card so I could bounce my thoughts of the movie off of her. We pretty much had all of the same opinions of the movie. As always, I wanted to give my completely honest thoughts.
Let's face it, like many christian movies, they usually don't get the funding they deserve and have a low budget to work with. As a result, the acting often suffers. I'll be completely honest, at the beginning I kept thinking about the acting which means it wasn't the best and was a little distracting. About 1/4-1/2 way through, the acting seemed to improve-or I was just so engrossed in the message that I didn't notice.
This movie touched me to the core and the message of Grace - or forgiveness - rang through loud and clear. It can be so hard to forgive some of the people in your life, but God teaches us that everyone needs a little Grace - no matter what they've done.
One of the issues in this movie was race. While race issues are very real problems and should be addressed, I think they went a little far at times during this movie. Sometimes it seemed like the message of forgiveness took a back burner to racial discrimination.
Even though I found faults with it, the overall movie was fantastic and it is my hope that everyone sees it. As a believer, I walked away from this movie in tears and the impact that it left is unmatched. As the movie discusses, it often takes a person to hit rock bottom before they reach out to God for help, so I'm not sure how a nonbeliever would feel about this movie. Hopefully they would look at it and the impact of what happens to the characters would hit them so hard that they would see the true meaning of Grace and the amazing power of God's love.
I truly hope you find the time to go see this movie in theaters when it debuts on 2-25-2011. Don't forget to take some tissues! :) Visit The Grace Card website to learn more. Stay connected with them on facebook and twitter.
Please take a minute to watch the trailer to this awesome movie.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who gave me and a guest the opportunity to go see a screening of this movie.
We went to a Halloween shindig this weekend at the zoo. That is my sister with Evan and Isabella. If you ask Evan what his Halloween Costume is, he tells you it is a pirate. LOL-oh well.
Here are the winners from the giveaways that ended Monday as well as the giveaway that ended on 10/20.
**Reminder-if your email address is NOT visible in your profile, you have to leave it in your comment so I can contact you!!** I had *two* different people leave comments and they would have won, but I had no way to get in contact with them.
The Hungry Jack Giveaway had 1273 comments and the winners are:
Katrina
hondaray6
Head In The Clouds
shellycox
Grins & Giggles
Heidi Jane Blankets
Idaho Jill
Anonymous
Carolyn G
Tamara B.
The Spa Gift Basket Giveaway Had 630 comments and the winner is:
Rebecca
We have been so incredibly busy lately that we haven't even had time to go out to eat somewhere that you sit down. This past weekend we headed to Chili's Grill And Bar Restaurant to check out their $20 Dinner for 2.
I have always been a huge fan of Chili's(I was actually a hostess there when I was 16), but eating out with kids can sometimes be challenging so we rarely do it. I was so glad that we took them there to eat this weekend. We all had a lot of laughs while there. Here is the 2 for $20 menu.
We ordered the half order of Texas cheese fries for the appetizer. Umm...we were so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate. It was absolutely delicious!
For the first entree, we got the chicken crispers. I'll be honest, I didn't like these at all. They were breaded with batter that was very "peppery" and the chicken tasted kind of odd. I was expecting the crispy kind-not breaded. None of us ate them, but we did eat the corn and fries.
We got the bacon cheeseburger as the second entree and it was fantastic.
We had a great time at Chili's and look forward to going back soon. I think I'll get the fajitas next time.
Chili's is having a promotion where users can upload a photo to ShoutOutToEatOut.com and tell them why you want to take your friend/sibling/significant other/child etc to Chili's. They're giving away a $20 Chili's Gift Card every day until 10/31.
Win It!
Chili's is giving one of my readers a $20 gift certificate.
To enter, visit Chili's and tell me something on the menu that you want to try. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.
1- For TWO extra entries, subscribe to my blog via email.
2- Follow my blog via google friend.
3- For THREE extra entries, blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post and Chili's.
4- Follow twoofakind AND Chili's on twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can Tweet once a day for an extra entry every day! You can copy and paste: Win a @Chilis gift card @twoofakind http://tinyurl.com/39elht8 #giveaway ends 11/8
5- Place my Holiday Happiness button on your blog. Remember to leave a comment on that post BEFORE the event starts to get even more extra entries into the first holiday giveaways.
8- Enter any of my current giveaways. One extra entry for each that you enter.
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on November 8th when I will draw a winner at random. PLEASE leave your email address if it is not visible on your profile. I will notify the winner and they will have 36 hours to respond!
Open to US Only.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.
Instead of watching tv at night, we have been playing family friendly games with the kids. Evan has gotten really good at playing Wii and Isabella is our #1 cheerleader.
The Oops! Prank Party Wii game has been providing our family with lots of laughs over the past few weeks.
With more than 100 brain-teasing, puzzle-solving, reflex-testing party games, Oops! Prank Party even makes losing fun with embarrassing costumes and pranks for the mini-game winner to assign to any losing player, who will be stuck in the silly costume for the duration of the game. With unlockable levels and one of the most robust avatar creators in a party game, players can put their personality directly into the game, including more than 500 avatar customization elements.
Our Thoughts:
Oops! Prank Party is great for families because up to 4 players can play at a time. You can customize each character which is always a fun game in itself.
Evan's favorite part of any Wii game is choosing which game one we will play. With Oops! Prank Party, there are over 100 short games for him to play with. There are small tiles with pictures of each game on them and he always has to be the one that picks what game we're going to play.
Whoever wins the games gets to put silly costumes on the losers. Usually the winner has to pick one player to wear the silly outfit. The outfits are things like bee outfits, leotards, etc.
As with all games, there are a few of the short games that Evan can't play well yet, but there are many that he has mastered. I think playing Wii is really helping him with hand-eye coordination and he is learning to cheer on others even if he loses. It is a great bonding activity for families of all ages.
This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review.
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