Outtakes

Today is one of those days when I'm not really sure what to blog about.  This Sunday is Fast Sunday, so no lesson for me which means no YW post from me this week.  There are definitely "things" on my mind, but I'm going to have to be careful how I word these "things" cause I don't want my blog popping up on Google because someone is searching for info about these "things".  And I don't have time to write a careful post today cause I gotta make dinner for a special friend who had surgery.

On Easter Sunday, my hubby's family got together for family photos.  It was actually kinda fun to get photos this time around.  When I got home, I had over 500 photos to get transferred onto my computer.  I've now deleted over 150 photos and I'm making good progress as I sort through them & pick out some of the best & cutest pics.  Here are a few fun outtakes ... some sweet ... some funny.   They all bring a smile to my face. :o)

{My boy ... Already chasing the cute blonde girls!}

Survivor

I find myself avoiding a lot of personal topics on my blog.  Is it because my blog is now public & I don't want the world knowing all my business?  Maybe it's because some things are just too hard to put into words.  So, today, I give you one word ...

Survivor:  n. a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.

{My Mother-in-law}

Nature vs Nuture

I often find my mind wandering & thinking about the whole nature vs. nuture thing.  Maybe I think about it more than the average momma because two of my kids do not have my nature, so my nuturing will is all they get from me.  Now that I'm a mom of children of both genders, there is no doubt in my mind that boys are boys and they are just so different from girls no matter how we try to (or try not to) influence them.  My boy loves all the typical boy stuff ... cars, trains, balls, teasing the girls, gadgets, buttons, etc.  He is so fun & I'm so thankful for my little man!!  Just can't imagine life without him. *sigh*

Beauties

Wedding Attire

Remember when I said I was done scrapbooking photos of my sister's wedding?  I lied.  I decided to do one page with some of the wedding attire to go with THIS page, and THIS page, & THIS page.

Dirty Feet

Papaw's grapefruit will never be the same....

Eclipse

Did you know that Stephenie Meyer is releasing a short novel on June 5th?  You can pre-order it now through your favorite bookstore or website.  Or you can get the book for free online from June 7th-July5th.

Read more about the release of  The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella HERE.

Looking forward to June 30th!

General Conference for Kids

In a few days, we will have the privledge of watching our prophet and apostles speak to us during our semi-annual General Conference.

I thought I'd share a few fun things I found in my search to find some activities to keep my children happy & busy during conference.

First ... did you know that http://www.lds.org/ has a whole page dedicated to activities for children?  I didn't until today.  Go HERE to find online games and printable packets for kids of all ages.

More fun games & flashcards can be found HERE.

And then there is always the traditional packet ... HERE you can find the updated 2010 version.

I think Conference traditions are always fun and, like other traditions, give us a something special to look forward to.  Brunch and yummy breakfast foods are always fun.   We've done cinnamon rolls several times as well as crepes with pudding & fruit fillings.  I also enjoy something to keep my hands busy ... like a simple craft that I can quiety work on in the family room.  I feel like we've gotten out of the habit of conference traditions the past year or two though.  What are some of your favorite conference traditions?

Qdoba - Kids Eat Free

Qdoba became a regular hang-out for our family while living in Pittsburgh.  Qdoba is very similar to Chipotle.  So, if you're out & about this weekend and need an inexpensive food stop, grab a bite at your local Qdoba!  I recommend their gumbo!

Playing Hard

My kiddies were FiLtHy last night after a hard day of play.  Thanks to my brother for the fun photos!

Easter Messiah

The Chandler, Arizona Stake is performing Handel's Messiah tonight in celebration of Easter.  The concert begins at 7:00 pm and families are welcome.  The Chandler Stake Center is located on Ray Road, just east of McQueen.

Fathers' Blessings - Young Women Lesson 12, Manual 2

Please feel free to copy this handout which will go along with Young Women lesson #12 in manual 2 ... Fathers' Blessings.  It is 4x6".

Our Homeschool

People often ask me which curriculum I use for homeschooling. My answer is usually none. I don't follow one set philosophy or only buy books from a certain curriculum. I have tried a wide variety of books, schools, etc.  Here are some of my findings ... so far ...

If you are looking for inexpensive workbook pages (which are great for language art skills & math), I suggest Sam's Club. I've bought workbooks in there on a wide variety of topics ... Spanish, cursive, math, language arts, reading, maps, history, etc. I have also found great helps for science experiments & art projects in Sam's Club. Sometimes I can find something interesting in Costco, but Sam's Club definitely has a better variety.

When Penguin started Kindergarten, we tried Connections Academy (a cyber school that is available in many states). There were aspects that we really enjoyed and liked while we were with Connections Academy and other things that absolutely drove me nuts. I liked that twice a week, all the kids in Penguin's class put on the earphones & microphones for an online, interactive class. Penguin made friends through these classes that she emailed and talked to on the phone on numerous occasions. Connections Academy also had some great fieldtrips and families were always invited to attend. Compared to some other cyber schools, the amount of work we had to actually submit to a teacher was not a lot and we submitted everything once a month ... so it wasn't really a daily task that I had to worry about.

About 14 months ago, we felt we needed a change and less stress in our home. We decided to try a more traditional home school approach. I loved all the freedom that we had to pick our own topics, pick which days we wanted for vacation days, and the other countless perks that come along with homeschooling your kids. We've been doing our own version of home school until about a month ago when we decided to try another cyber school....

At the beginning of March, Penguin started attending K12. K12 is another cyber school (available in most or all states). K12 has a lot of different philosophies which seem to be working better for our family. K12 is mastery based which means Penguin doesn't receive letter grades. She has to master each lesson before she can move on or she can skip lessons that she has proven that she can master without doing the lessons. K12 also offers fieldtrips (but we haven't attended any yet) and a well-rounded school week ... all the basic courses plus Spanish, art, PE, music, etc. One aspect of K12 that I'm really loving is their curriculum. It is far superior to Connections Academy or any other school that I've researched up to this point.

Am I settled at this point with Penguin's schooling? Not really, but I may never like I'm 100% happy with her schooling. I think there will always be pros & cons. Will I try something different in the future? Quite possibly. I already have other homeschooling philosophies that I was to research ... maybe this summer.

EVMCO Concert Update

Change in plans for our next EVMCO concert ...

We are now performing on Friday, May 21 ...

same time - 7:30 pm

same place - Gammage

Tickets will now go on sale April 12th.

For your listening enjoyment, here is one song that we (the symphony) will be performing:

EVMCO Spring Semester

**UPDATE (3/26/10):   Because of spring break, Early-Bird Registration has been extended to April 5th.  After that, prices will go up slightly & registration will close on April 8th.

Now is the time to sign-up for the East Valley Mormon Chorale Organization!  Registration is open now for our Friday, May 21st concert at Gammage.  The concert is titled O' America and we will be performing with William Joseph.

(Fast-Forward to about 4 minutes into the video to see just the song.  Choir is our own EVMCO in it's smaller days :) )

If you'd like to audition for the adult choir or orchestra, auditions are being held this week on March 23 & 24.  All choirs have their first rehearsal on March 25th.  If you're thinking about signing up your child for one of the kid choirs, I'm pretty sure you can show up on March 25th to the rehearsal and see what you think before you pay the money.  Starting March 29, the price for registration will increase.

If you'd like to attend our next performance (May 21 @ Gammage), tickets go on sale April 12th.  Good news ... because of the change in venue, tickets for this concert will be less expensive and will range from $15-25!

Appreciating the Bishop - Young Women Lesson 11 Manual 2

This Sunday, I am teaching lesson 11 in manual 2, Appreciating the Bishop.

My favorite handout can be found HERE.

I also like the idea of bringing a photo of the bishop when he was younger & having the girls guess to see if they know who it is a picture of.

Good luck!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

If you're looking for some food ideas, crafts, & fun things for your kids to do today, go HERE or HERE.

I'm not into turning my food green, so we had Irish Oatmeal for breakfast.

More St. Paddy's Fun to come later....

What Did You Do Today?

Bet you didn't go swimming in your clothes!!

One was a little more cautious ....

Bit of Spring

I have a bit of spring in my home that I'm totally loving ....

These flowers bring back memories of Pittsburgh & our home there.  Each April, we had oodles of daffodils pop up in our yard.  Now I have to go to Trader Joe's to find my spring time pleasures.  :)  (10 stems are about $1.60)

"Daffodils"

I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

The Priesthood: A Great Blessing (Young Women Lesson 10, Manual 2)

It's been a busy week and I haven't had time to work on my Young Women lesson until today.  Tomorrow I will be teaching lesson #10 in manual 2  ... The Priesthood: A Great Blessing.

In the section of the lesson called "Chalkboard Discussion", we are asked as teachers to share a personal experience that we've had when the priesthood has influenced our lives.  I am going to get a couple photos printed of the days when my daughters were sealed to our family & the day my son was born and talk about how each of my children became an eternal part of my family. 

I'm also working on saving this video to my laptop so I can share this short message as part of my lesson:

Here is a cute handout idea.  Or Here is another one.

Just made this real quick ... I'm just going to attach some Extra gum in the empty space provided.

(If you want to get it printed at Costco or your favorite photo printer, print as a 4x6" photo with lustre or matte finish.)

Bushka's Baking Lessons

The kiddies had fun with Bushka this week ... they baked & decorated St. Patrick's Day cookies.

(Photos courtesy of Bushka :))

Free Book & More

If you're an educator (aka Mom!), click HERE to get a free idea book.

**Update:  HERE's another freebie ... ziploc bags & cleaning supplies!

the Princess & the Frog

We used to buy tons of DVD's.  After being "poor students" for so many years, we're more picky about what we buy now.  We haven't see Disney's Princess & the Frog yet ... not for a lack of trying though! ... but this is a movie that is definitely going to be added to our collection!!  We will be making a special trip to the store on Tuesday, March 16th just to buy this DVD.  If you'd like to add this movie to your collection, CLICK HERE for a $10 off coupon.  Coupon is only good until March 21.

Music Programs in our Schools

Music is such an important part of a child's life.  Please take a moment to fill-out this survery ...

EVMCO Fireside

Penguin & I had a wonderful time on Friday.  We had many hours of rehearsal followed by a sold-out concert.  I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to play in the EVMCO Symphony and that Penguin can sing & make wonderful memories.  I was able to sneak in one quick photo of Penguin from my seat ... look for the pink star.

If you still haven't made it to an EVMCO concert, you have another opportunity this weekend.  The choirs (without the symphony) will be putting on a free fireside at the Queen Creek Stake Center (19730 E. Ocotillo, 85142) at 7pm.  I honestly don't know what will be performed, but it should be worth checking-out.

Excitement!

There is a buzz in the air at my house.  The EVMCO concert is tonight! For Penguin, this is as exciting as Christmas morning!!  We have worked hard for this night for several months and we are going to have an incredible evening.  Tonight is the EVMCO's second concert ever and it sounds like we will be playing for a sold-out house, which just adds to the excitement. Brother Stewart has demanded hard work, lots of practice &, at times, perfection.  I know every single note of every single song ... there will be no measures that I fake or shy away from tonight. If you are attending, text me your seat location & I'll look for ya!

In the meantine ... more of Hot Mama:

Obsessed?

Hubby & I have found a new obsession ... LOST!  We are officially Lost addicts.  We can not go to bed at night without watching at least one episode of Lost ... sometimes we watch several episodes in one sitting.  I don't know why I didn't watch the show until recently, but it's one of the best shows I've seen in a very long time.  We're a few episodes into season 2, so don't leave any comments that are spoilers for me! :)

Curious ... who is your favorite character?  I think I'd have to say mine is Jack although I'm intrigued by the Korean couple and, at times, Sawyer is hilarious ... he's growing on me.

March 9, 2007

It has been almost three years since we were able to take Peacock to the Washington D.C. Temple to be sealed to our eternal family. YEAH!!

Here are the memories that I recorded a few years ago:

"We drove out there on a Thursday night and then got up and played most of the day Friday ... had to hit Tyson's Court!! Friday evening, we went back to our hotel room, changed into our Sunday clothes and headed towards the temple. It think it was supposed to be a 20 minute drive to the temple, but it turned into a drive that took an hour & a half because of rush hour traffic. Because we were running late by the time we got to the temple, there wasn't time for photos before our appointment.

Our wonderful friends Seth & Jane met us there. We're so happy that we could have someone join us for this special occasion. The girls were taken into a special children's room with toys, snacks, beds & some very fun grandma-like caregivers. Hubby & I worked on the appropriate paperwork and then we were ready to begin.

Seth, Jane, Hubby & I met in front of the sealing room and a few minutes later our girls came down the hall with their caregivers. Tears came to my eyes as I watched my girls coming nearer to me. They looked so beautiful in their white dresses. I can still see them now in my mind. An image I hope to never forget! Seth graciously accepted the duty of acting as one of our witnesses and before we knew it, Peacock was eternally ours!

After the ceremony, we were able to take a couple quick pictures outside, but by that time it was dark & rather chilly. Afterwards, our family, along with Seth & Jane, went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner to celebrate."

I think I'll break out the "I am Special Today" plate next week & make Peacock a meal & dessert of her choice to celebrate this special occasion.

LDS Homeschooling

Yesterday was the Grand Opening of a new website: http://www.latter-dayhomeschooling.com/. This website is full of resources of all varieties.  Even if you do not homeschool or not are LDS, this could be a great resource for you & your family.

Miracle

Don't know about you, but my weekend was anything but relaxing & quiet.  My excitement began when Peacock came in from playing outside Friday night and she was having a hard time catching her breath.  Around 4am, she seemed to be getting much worse and really struggling to breath, so my husband took her to the children's hospital.  Crazy night with very little sleep.  Penguin & I had to get up & go to an early rehearsal for our concert that's coming up this Friday and we didn't get done until about noon.  I was ready to go home for a nap, but this hot mama ...

... was starting to have some strong contractions, so while hubby watched the kids, we ran to Target to do some last minute get-ready-for-baby shopping.  Later, I tried to go home & nap, but it seemed like I was interrupted every 10 minutes by something.  We decided to head over to the new Tia Rosa restaurant that opened in Gilbert for dinner ... it's a small restaurant where you walk-up to the counter to order your food ... nothing too fancy.  It took them ONE HOUR to prepare our food.  Totally insane!  And I was somewhat disappointed by numerous things.  The refried beans were burnt, rice was just so-so & when you buy a large bag of chips that comes with salsa, you only get about 4 tablespoons worth of salsa to go with your large bag of chips!  Salsa was just OK too.  I think I'll be going back to Gecko Grill next time I want some good Mexican food ... better food, better service,  unlimited salsa & I don't have to wait an hour to eat!

My goal was to get in bed at a decent hour Saturday night to make-up for some missed sleep.  Around 1am, my cell phone started beeping.  Hot Mama had gone to the hospital.  So, then I couldn't sleep cause I wanted updates, I was worried about her & I couldn't turn off my brain.  Around 2am little Turkey started crying ... he was just mad at the world.  Nothing I could think of made him happy or helped him get back to sleep.  Finally around 3 am we fell asleep together in his bed and around 5am I went back to my own bed.  Around 7am I was wide awake thinking & worrying about Hot Mama cause we hadn't heard anything for hours about her progress.  Shortly after 8am, I get a phone call ... "Hot Mama wants you in the room to photograph the birth!  Get down here ... she's at an 8!".  Totally unexpected!! I jumped in the shower & got ready.  Just as I'm about to run out the door I get another call saying she's at a 10 & will start pushing soon.  I raced to the hospital & the nurse double-checked with Hot Mama to make sure I'm wanted in the room.  I barely had enough time to get my camera out & set-up before I could see little bits of the baby's head & hair coming out.  Within a few minutes, I was in rapid-fire mode trying to catch every split-second of Baby A coming into this world.  What an amazing experience!!  How many of us get to see a baby born except for maybe our own children?  Hot Mama did beautifully & I think I met my new OB/GYN.  Dr Cox ... look her up.  Super nice and her philosophies are so different from when I gave birth to Turkey ... I think it saved Hot Mama from a lot of extra pain & problems that I experienced after Turkey was born.  But back to Baby A ... watching her come into this world is something I will never forget and I don't take it lightly that Hot Mama allowed me in the room to witness this miracle.  Amazing!  Amazing!!  AMAZING!!  I stayed with Hot Mama & her new family for several hours to take lots of photos & just make sure she was OK before I left.

I finally made it home & was able to have a little afternoon nap before I was off to another rehearsal.   Now I'm ready to catch-up and get everything done that I wasn't able to get done this past weekend. Or maybe I'll just forget the to-do list and go hold Baby A some more ....

My Favorite Restaurants

Here is an old restaurant meme.  If you want to play, here are the rules:

1. Link to name of person that tagged you.

2. Include state and country you live in.

3. List top 5 favorite local restaurants.

4. Tag 5 other people and let them know they've been tagged

I live in the East Valley area of Phoenix in Arizona.

1. Casanova Brothers: GREAT NY style pizza, delish pasta dishes & even desserts.  If you're looking for good Italian food in the Phoenix area, I'd say this is the place to go.  Lots of fresh, homemade menu items.  I'm a spaghetti girl, so I'll always recommend that, but they have awesome pizza ... some of my faves are cheese, veggie, & caprese.

2. Costa Vida: If you haven't been, GO!  My favorite menu item here is the veggie salad ... beans, rice, hot tortilla, guac, pico ... yum!

3. Del Taco:  As for fast food, Del Taco is probably my favorite these days.  I can feed my family for under $10 and I think Del Taco tops Taco Bell.  Let's see ... at Del Taco some of my regulars are the veggie works burrito, tostadas & crunchy tacos with beans.

4. Gecko Grill: noticing a pattern ... it's hard to find good food around here that's isn't Mexican ... but Gecko Grill is loved by all!  I love their cheese enchiladas (without onion for me), tostadas, rice, grilled fish tacos & I can't leave without a cold glass of horchata!

5. I'd have to say that the Cheesecake Factory wins my final spot.  For special occasions, I like to go get grilled Mahi-Mahi with mashed potatoes & asparagus.  I love cheesecake, so I always try to save room for dessert.  I don't think I have a favorite flavor though.  Do you?

So, now I gotta cheat.  If I could eat anything in the world right now, it would be a big ol' fat sandwich from Primanti Bro's in Pittsburgh.  They're HUGE & most definitely unique.  If you go to the Strip District location on a Saturday, even in the middle of the afternoon, be prepared to wait in a line that goes out the door & down the street!  They put the fries & coleslaw right on the sandwich ... mmm ... heaven.  I think that's what I'll be making for dinner tonight. 

So now I need to tag 5 people…

Tara Phelps

Katie Minharo

Audra Campbell

Nancy Tiffany

Sarah Marshall

I wanna know where you love to eat!  Play along, leave me a link to your blog & I'll pay you a visit!

Ashley Hall Music

About once a month, I play my violin in church.  I always play arrangements by Ashley Hall, who is in my ward.  He has a website where you can go to listen to & download his arrangements for choirs, instrumentalists, duets, etc.  All his music is free and he even has a link to other free sheet music websites ... great resource!  If you're looking for a nice musical number, take a peek at his site.

PS Ashley's arrangements are very simple & easy to put together which is nice because they can be used by a variety of people and you don't have to spend countless hours practicing.

February 21, 2007

On February 21, 2007, Peacock officially became a member of our family.  There were some intense moments in that courtroom when we thought we were going to be sent back home (a 10-12 hour car ride) without a finalized adoption.  In the end, everything worked-out in our favor that day.  We are so thankful to have a little Peacock in our family!!

Homeschooling Help

Are you a homeschooling mom or a parent who wants to supplement their child's education?  If so, check out this website!  It's free and has oodles of helps & fun stuff.  Your Pre-K through 2nd grader can work on everything from math to spelling to Spanish to art using Head of the Class.  Create a free profile & you're ready to go.  Thanks to my friend Tara for sharing this website with me!

While playing around on the Head of the Class website, I came across a link for http://www.ixl.com/ where I found even more games & lessons for grades Pre-K through 6th.

Conversation Cards

In my search for communication lesson ideas, I came across these conversation cards.  I will be printing them & putting them in a cute container for my dinner table.  If you have a coupon for 50 free prints at Costco, you can get these conversation cards for FREE! 

Here are some examples of some of the conversation cards:

Improving Communication Skills Lesson 8 Manual 2

This week I will be teaching lesson 8 which is "Improving Communication Skills".  Great lesson which I hope the girls will take & use in their everyday lives.

I like this game idea that I found on http://www.sugardoodle.net/:
"My counselor gave this lesson today and it was really, really good. She handed each of us a blank piece of paper and had us write a complete sentence. Mine was ~ The boy jumped over the moon. Then we passed that sheet of paper to the person on our right and they illustrated our sentence. Then they folded over the sentence "the boy jumped over the moon" so that just their picture was showing and passed it to their right. Then that person had to write as sentence describing what they thought that picture was saying. And then we opened them up and returned them to the original person. It was a very effective object lesson, and the girls really enjoyed it. (Shared by Angela Paladeni) "

My handout this week will be this:

I'm not sure what I'm going to attach to the handout yet, but maybe I can find some kind of candy cell phone.  Any ideas???  If you have an idea, please leave it in my comments for all to see!  :)  Or maybe just a homemade goodie would be nice.

Please feel free to use my handout in your classes as well.  Just save it to your desktop & print it from home or I recommend printing it at Costco as a 4x6 with lustre finish.  Any questions?

MIA

I must apologize for my lack of blogging this past week.  I've been outside enjoying the warm, sunny days with my little birds.  On Monday we had a bean taco picnic at the playground.  After a Dr appt. on Tuesday, we had a picnic lunch at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, AZ.  It was almost too hot for our little hike around the water!  And we're only in Feb!!  And speaking of the Riparian Preserve, check-out THIS website for some awesome photos!  On Wednesday I had to take my Turkey to see a pediatric surgeon in Phoenix and afterwards we ate lunch outside on Bushka's patio and let the kiddies run wild for a while.  It's been a busy week and today I will spend hours working on Peacock's hair.  In my spare time, I've been homeschooling, working on YW stuff, cooking, cleaning & all kinds of other mom stuff ... it's been a good week.  For those of you who are patiently waiting for a lesson 8 handout ... it's on the way!

Halloween 2009

I know I'm way behind here, but my goal is to make some scrapbook pages this year & to actually get them printed & into a scrapbook!

That Easter Morn

Here is a sample of what you

will hear at the concert:

Living in Love & Harmony Young Women Lesson 7 Manual 2

This Sunday I will be teaching lesson #7  ... Living in Love & Harmony.

There are lots of cute ideas at http://www.sugardoodle.net/
... some that I'm considering are:

• 
  
  making homemade lemonade
• 
  
  the rope object lesson
• 
  
  having parents bring a family photo from home
• 
  
  saving time at the end to make cards

I put together a little hand-out this afternoon for the YW.   It might be fun to attach a Valentine's treat or a piece of rope (if you do that object lesson) or a box of Lemonhead candies (to go with the lemonade).  As always, I recommend printing my hand-outs at Costco with a lustre finish & this handout is 4x6 inches.

Love #5

K ... So, I was always one of those moms who vowed that we'd never own any kind of gaming system cause they're nothing but a waste of time, right?  But I have to admit that I broke down and a while back we got a Wii.  I also have to admit that I ♥ Wii.  We stick to games that are fun for the family & get-togethers or that have some educational value ... like Penguin got a Wii game for Christmas that teaches ballet.  The games that get used the most & that are the favorites are the ones that involve musical instruments ... ones like Beatles Rockband & my new ♥   ... BAND HERO!  (Way better songs than Guitar Hero!)

Love #4

If you're making Mexican food for dinner & don't have time to make fresh salsa, try El Sol Salsa.  We ♥ it at our house.  If you go to THIS LINK, you can read about some places that sell El Sol Salsa ... or you can go directly to their bakery/restaurant in Chandler, AZ.  I usually try to get mild so my kids will eat it, but the medium isn't too spicey & I'm not into spicey foods.

Love #3

At our house, we ♥ Trader Joe's A Midsummer Night's Cream.  We tried getting rid of Penguin's eczema for years and this was the only stuff that helped.  Peacock can have some very dry skin, but when we use this thick moisturizing cream, her skin is silky smooth.  One of the best things about Trader Joe's lotion ... it's cheap!  I can't remember the exact price, but I think a bottle of it is around $3.

Love #2

(Sorry I'm slow in publishing these posts!)

I ♥ my Chi hair straightener!  I've tried other brands of straighteners and I stand by my Chi ... it really does work better!  I've tried different Chi straighteners and I have to say my favorite is the cheapest Chi that I recently bought at Costco for about $30 less than I've ever seen them anywhere else ... even using coupons ... even cheaper than asking someone with a license to get you one from a beauty supply store.  (Did I mention that I ♥ Costco?)

(Thank you to styling-solutions.com for the photo since I'm too lazy to take a photo myself!)

Love #1

(Photo courtesy of charmingblooms.com)

I thought for the first two weeks in February, it would be fun to share things that I love.  I ♥ Costco!  I ♥ that I can make one stop & get everything that I need from photos to new work clothes for my hubby to dinner to DVD's.  Although I miss our Waterfront Costco where they knew my whole family by name, it's always fun to run into people that I know at my new local Costco.  If you're looking for a place to pick-up a Valentine's gift for your ♥, Costco has some great options.  I wish that I would've taken a photo, but about 3 weeks ago my sweet husband bought me some gorgeous hot pink roses ... 20 to be exact ... from Costco.  They stayed nice & beautiful on my kitchen counter for almost 3 WEEKS!!  If you're requesting flowers from your ♥, you might want to hint that you'd like some from Costco.