Friday Favorite

My favorite thing right now is having this guy (see pic below!) home all week :) After a year-ish of Paramedic school he took PTO this week before he starts the academy next week! It's the most I've seen him since I don't know when! Yay for PTO! :)

He decided that on his "stay-cation" he, and with the help of many others, would put up the pool. Not much of a break huh? We are filling our pool with well water so he told me the other day, "We've got to get the pool up and filled. It won't be warm enough to get in until mid-August!" haha! Got to love fresh, and FREEZING COLD well water.

my love 

Friday Favorites: Primp & Pamper

***These reviews are not paid or sponsored. Just some of my favs.***


I know, I know. I always say I have good intentions with weekly "Friday Favorites," yet they never seems to appear. I'm pathetic. LOL. Here we go...


1. TRESemme' hair spray: this by far seems to be my favorite hair spray. A problem I find in a lot of hair sprays is that they stay sticky even after they dry. This is just disgusting to me, for some reason. Every time I try a new spray and end up hating it, I find myself going back to this. Good job, TRESemme'. This one is a winner. 

2. Teasing brush: Thanks to my friend Krysten - I, now, have a short hair cut that requires teasing. I'm not a good "hair teaser." My hair isn't good at being teased. But this teasing brush (given to me by my friend, Kelsie!) is a great little tool. It works much better than a comb! 

3. Revlon Eyeshadow: All through college, I was a black/silver/gray eye-shadow-colored-wearer. HAHA! Before I had Hadley, me and my friend Katie ventured to the mall to the make up stores. I asked about something quick and easy for a "mom-to-be" that would work with my eye color and skin tone. They suggested purples. GREAT- thats my favorite color :) I went to Wal-Mart and found a set of purples/grays. (It comes in a pack just like the ones in the picture, but of course mine isn't in the picture!) I love it! It looks more natural than my silvers/blacks. 

4. Falsies Mascara: This stuff works magic people. MAGIC! I have NO eye lashes. Well, I mean, I have some... But not many. They are short, thin, and don't curl. Falsies makes me look like I have more lashes than I do. By no means do they look "false" as implied by their name, but it is a great product none the less! 

5. Make - up wipes: Who has time to wash their face then fight to get all their mascara off? Not this girl. Make up wipes is the way to go! :) Just try it! You'll never go back to soap and water. I promise!

Friday Favorites: Movie Edition

***These reviews are not paid or sponsored. Just some of my favs.***

I was never much of a movie watcher until I met my husband. He will watch a movie over a tv show any day. I'm the polar opposite. But with that being said, I do have a few favorite movies :)

1. Forrest Gump: Forrest Gump has always been my favorite movie. I'm not really sure why either. I remember watching it on tv when I was younger. There isn't anything in particular about this movie that I love other than the fact that it's been around forever and forever remains a good movie. By no means is it a "good and clean" movie. Sex, drugs, cheating, alcohol, and abuse...ya know all the terrible things LOL.


2. Pride and Prejudice: My senior year of high school, my English teacher had us read this book. I didn't really understand it well. If you've read Pride and Prejudice you know they speak Old English? Is that right??? Anyway, after we finished the novel we watched the movie. It was when we watched the movie that I fell in love with the book. I know, that's a little backwards. Usually, people love the book more than the movie. But honestly, I'm not a book person. The movie really helped (showed me) the plot and relationships between the characters. When reading in Old English, it gets a little confusing to follow all of that stuff. Maybe it's just me... Either way, Pride and Prejudice will remain my favorite love story. What I love about it is that it's not your typical. Boy meets girl, falls in love, and lives happily ever after. In this story, the boy and girl originally don't even like eachother. They don't get along. One is of "high class" than the other. It's a "could really happen in real life" kind of love story. **I also liked how accurate the movie followed the book!!**

3. Elf: This is my favorite holiday movie. When I was pregnant with Hadley I watched Elf every single day (literally, this is not an exaggeration! Ask Lee!) the entire month of December. I'm not sure why I even did this. I just really liked the movie so I kept watching it over and over and over. (I do the same thing with songs I like. I'm slightly OCD about things.) So this December, I watched Elf again. One day I was folding laundry in our bedroom. I went and got Hadley and laid her on the bed and forced her to watch it with me. I think she kind of enjoyed it :)

4. Walk the Line: I love Johnny Cash. This is also thanks to my husband. When I saw Walk the Line I fell in love with the love story of June Carter and Johnny Cash (also a "could happen in real life / not fairy tale like" love.) I'm a sucker for anything that is a true story or documentary - like. To my understanding, Walk the Line is a pretty accurate portrayal of their lives.

5. The Jackson 5: An American Dream: OK PEOPLE: I have a slight obsession with the Jacksons. I love MJ, but I reallllllly love the Jackson 5. This movie would come on tv every single Thanksgiving and Christmas season for weeks at a time. I would watch it every time it was on. My aunt told me one time that it was when I was watching this movie that I discovered Michael Jackson was originally black. haha! This is one of my fondest memories growing up - probably because it was so constant every year. I remember many times, my whole family would sit and the living room and watch it. Which speaking of, watching this movie is a task! With commercials and all it is about 5 hours long. No lie! (We DVR'd it once!) But it is well worth every minute!

After writing all this and thinking about why I love these movies, I'm now reconsidering what my "favorite" actually is ;)

Friday Favorites: Baby Edition

***These reviews are not paid or sponsored! Just some of my favs.***

This Friday Favorites is all about baby! Being a first time mother, I was given lots of advice. Some good, some pointless, and some just plain annoying - but that's ok :) I'm getting better about taking to heart advice that matters and not getting so frustrated when people get annoying with their unsolicited advice. Anyway...

Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe

I attribute this product to the reason Hadley began sleeping through the night around five / six weeks and has been sleeping great since then. It is always suggested that swaddling a newborn / infant makes them feel safer because they are so used to be all snug in the womb. I'm, personally, not the best "swaddler with a blanket." The Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe is a lifesaver and so easy to use! SIDS research has shown that swaddling an infant also aides in prevents SIDS because it immobilizes the infant so they cannot roll over. Obviously, as the baby grows they are able to "bust out" of the swaddle and move their arms freely. Hadley is now 7 months old and I still use the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe with her every night. I wasn't sure how long you are supposed to swaddle a baby. I asked her Pediatrician about it. He said there is no real time to stop. If it makes them feel safer and easier for them to sleep then do it as long as you want. Of course, as soon as I lay Hadley down she busts her arms out and as she wakes in the morning she busts her legs out. I guess, since she knows how to get out, I will swaddle her until she grows out of it :)

Playtex VentAire Bottles

Love love love these bottles! The Playtex VentAire is designed to suck the air out of the bottle to simulate "burping" a drop in bag. These bottles eliminates having to buy bags and having to "burp" the bag. Genius, I tell you! This is the first and only bottles we tried with Hadley. She did well with them so we still use them.

Formula "to-go" divider

This little contraption is a must have item for mommie's on the go! This holds and divides 3 servings of formula for a bottle. Then you just turn the lid to what ever serving you need and pour it directly into a bottle and it's ready to go.

Pacifier Wipes

These pacifier wipes are so handy. The ingredients include Arm & Hammer Baking soda and water. These are useful for those little babies and their little games they like to play such as "Oops I purposely accidentally dropped my binkie, pick it up!" Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Sometimes you aren't really at a place or in a situation to run to the bathroom to wash the binkie. These are great for those situations. Wipe it off and you go. Oh, and!!!!! I event tasted one, one day, to see if they left a funny taste on the binkie - they don't. That's always a plus! :)

Beaba Cook babyfood maker

This is a babyfood maker. This is the exact babyfood maker that I use.  This runs for about $130 - $150. Luckily, I was able to borrow it from a friend. With the Beaba Cook, you're able to steam the veggies/fruits and puree the food all in the same bowl. I love that it's an "all in one" machine because that means less to clean up! As your baby gets older you can just steam food in there for bit size pieces and not have to puree them. You can also use this setting to just warm food up. Even though the Beaba Cook is pricey you make up the price for how much money you save in just a few months time. For example: 1 sweet potato costs between $0.60 - $0.90. That 1 sweet potato makes about 12 servings of baby food. To buy 1 jar of pre-processed babyfood costs about $0.90. Need I say more? It's worth the money. Plus, you know exactly what's going into your baby's food. I'm not bashing store bought baby food at all! I feel my baby store bought food. You can buy some really great organic foods. I'm just saying it is a real money saver to make your own.

Whether you're pregnant, buying gifts for a baby shower, or hope to be a parent one day - hopefully you found this post useful. What are your favorite baby items?

Friday Favorites: Easy Livin'

***These reviews are not paid or sponsored! Just my personal opinions***

I've been so out of the blogging loop. My computer had a few viruses so I haven't been able to get on it much. Thankfully, we've got it fixed...for now at least! I've been working on this post on and off for awhile and I've been wanting to start a "Friday Favorites." Well, it just so happens today is Friday :) Here ya go!

There are things around my house that I use every single day. There are other things that I don't use every day, but I'm thankful to have when I do use that item. I began thinking about these items I thought, "These items aren't exactly necessary to maintain life. This stuff just makes life easier or a bit happier!" Here are some of my current favorites!

Mr. Coffee Iced Tea maker

The Mr. Coffee Iced Tea maker is a jewel! We drink gallons of sweet tea in our house. At my house, growing up, we would just make tea on the stove or run in through the coffee pot. Obviously a tea MAKER seems like an obvious choice :) We got this when we got married and we use it all the time. It's pretty neat because it is seat up with line labeling the side of the pitcher of how far to fill it with water...ice...then water to fill it. Those lines are great and all, but I never use them all. I just fill the pitcher to the first water line and make the tea. Then we add the sugar and water to whatever "level" we want. I love that we use this pitcher for tea and only tea. Everyone needs to get one!

Slow Cooker

I love my slow cooker. I'm not partial to any particular brand. Actually, I have two slow cookers and both of them are different brands. As a mother of a 7 month old, sometimes a dinner cooked on the stove just doesn't happen. Slow cooker meals are just as good or better anyway!! I think a slow cooker is a must have for any household with busy people who are "on the go!" Plus, it's fun to see what all you can throw in the slow cooker and/or try new recipes and see the results. There's just something impressive, to me, about a meal made in one pot!

basic laundry basket

I seem to have an overwhelming amount of laundry baskets at my house. More importantly I have many uses for a laundry basket. Anyone else? Well, it's no secret that I hate doing laundry. So, of course, many of my baskets are filled with laundry for many days ;) But I also have been finding new uses for my baskets. One basket now resides on the fireplace in our living room filled with some of Hadley's toys. Another basket resides outside of Hadley's room and is filled to the brim with comfy cozy quilts. This basket serves as a little "bed" for Hadley to lay in while she watches me get ready in the bathroom. LOL. Call me crazy, but she loves the little spot. Many, many uses I tell ya...

Summer Video baby monitor

This is a picture of the exact baby monitor we use. WE LOVE IT! This picture on the monitor really is as clear as indicated above. This monitor is very slim, not bulky like most. The screen is very large for a clear picture. The speaker catches every little movement. It really was worth the extra money. Another cool little feature is that when it's day time or the nursery light is on, the picture is color. At night, the picture is "night time" quality. (Not necessary, but neat!) I love this because Hadley is so good about playing in her bed by herself. Sometimes I will need to shower, fold clothes, make the bed, etc... and I am able to lay her in bed while she play, yet still keep an eye on her. SO handy! 

Scentsy Pot Warmers

This is a Scentsy pot and scent block. I'm sure everyone knows what a Scentsy is now. They are "all the rage." LOL (do people even say that now? ha!) I have one Scentsy pot in our front room and I have one in our living room. The one in the living room is a knock off Scentsy. I believe it is a Better Homes and Gardens brand? I'm not sure, but either way it works just as well. Recently, I also gave in to trying out some scents that were also knock off and they work just as well, too! These make the house smell fresh and feel homey!