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Friday, June 29, 2012

show us your life - kids' bedrooms & nurseries...


We moved Daniel's room to our extra bedroom when we were preparing the nursery for Joel's arrival.  He ended up with the biggest room in the house, yet it is usually the most cluttered.   We I spent two whole days during Joel's naps cleaning, sorting, and organizing the week after school was out for summer.  I really wish I had before pictures, but just imagine all the stuff in various piles on every square inch of the floor and bed & you might appreciate the organization.  He loves all things sports.  Penn State & Pittsburgh teams are his favorites.  We will eventually paint and hang the sports decals that I've had for two years - yes, I said two years!

 
Here he is, proud of his clean room!
His snow globe collection is on his dresser, far right corner 
{not sure why I didn't get a closer shot of those}
 
 Air hockey table with storage bins/baskets underneath

Steelers!!!

Soccer trophies :)

This is Dan's pleather couch from college...
Daniel wanted it & we didn't have anywhere else to put it.
The TV used to be in our room, then became Dan's computer monitor.  
We passed it on when he upgraded monitors. 
*****
Joel's room is probably my favorite room in the house.  It has been since it was Daniel's room when we first moved in...I think  like it so much because it's small & cozy.  Daniel had a nautical room since he outgrew his Peter Rabbit nursery on his second birthday and he was ready for a change...when we found out we were having another boy, I decided to use all of his things to decorate Joel's nursery.  The only decor we needed to buy was the bedding.  Missing from the pictures is the wooden rocking horse my parents bought for Daniel's first birthday...if I think of it, I'll add it later, but chances are, I probably won't think of it ;)

 Joel's crib  :)

We love this glider and have spent many nights rocking :)
Dan made the side table and stool when he was in high school.  
I repainted and decorated it with stencils & glued nautical rope around the edges.

 
This is Joel's dresser/changing table and hutch.  
We bought this and the crib from a friend for a great bargain.
They aren't truly matching pieces, but it works.  
I especially like it because it is huge & has tons of storage space.

 
I love this shelf!  My mom bought it for Daniel years ago. 
Most of the decor is from our many summer vacations at the shore :)

Daniel passed his kitchen set down to his little brother
{who absolutely loves playing here, "cooking" and banging his pots & pans!}
This is where the crib was before we moved the kitchen in.
Once Joel has a big boy bed, we will move the kitchen to that wall 
and the decal will once again be above his head while he sleeps :)
I bought the toy bins at Target last summer...they hold so much...love them!

Right above his door hangs this little piece of art that I bought a long time ago...
I heart the beach!

 Another toy bin, book basket & hamper
My sister and her family gave this puzzle stool to Joel for his first birthday.  
He loves taking the letters out and helping us put them back in :)

So...those are my kids' rooms...they aren't fancy & not even so neatly organized...but they're home to many hours of fun play time and peaceful nights :)

pin-it friday...owls, potato salad & sparklers :)


I've been wanting to decorate with a theme in my classroom for several years, but always had an excuse not to {grad work & pregnancy, to name a few}.  I'm not sure why I chose this summer {busy chasing an almost 14-month old all over the place!} but I did...and I'm finding TONS of inspiration for my classroom during Joel's nap times.  I decided on an owl theme at the end of the school year & this past week I've been digging into Pinterest to find lots of good ideas.  I went to Micheal's yesterday to gather materials for this this sweet wreath {with a different spin}  :)

I was so hungry for potato salad to go with our grilled burgers on Saturday.  Dan likes the creamy kind, but I didn't have a recipe that we could both agree on...so I hopped on Pinterest to see if I could find one.  Oh. My. Goodness.  This was sooo good & super easy to make!  Dan, Joel & I loved it {Daniel wouldn't try it}!  The best part: I used chives & dill from my very own herb garden :)

And...this is one of those ideas where everyone sits back and says "why didn't I think of that?"
 

Linking to Pin-it Friday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

* sparkle * with Stella & Dot

Are you ready to sparkle this Independence Day? Stella & Dot's Sparkle Sale is running now through 7/4 offering an EXTRA 20% off already-reduced sale items! Below are some of my favorite pieces...I think I have to get the bracelet for sure :)

The Threaded Turquoise Necklace is beautiful. It's entirely handmade with delicate turquoise teardrops balanced on silk and metallic thread. Wear while running errands or with that little black dress!
The Wishing Nugget Bracelet is gorgeous and has crystal pave balls, a turquoise nugget and wooden beads--making it a perfect accessory for your summer attire.

The 14kt gold Signature Leaf Charm is stunning on its own or paired with other charms. Wear this charm to a summer BBQ or a girls night out. Sparkle all summer long wearing these great accessories!

Disclosure: Affiliate links used.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Today's Groupon - baby genius - save 61%



Grab this Groupon deal today...it will go fast! :)  Anyone who has children knows that music can lull babies to sleep, motivate kids to move, and teach invaluable lessons about what happens to spiders that try crawling up spouts during rainstorms. Both of my kids love to sing and dance {Daniel is into my music music now}.  Joel drops everything and starts to groove when he hears any kind of music!  Explore a symphony of sonic possibilities with this Groupon. 

$25 for Five Educational DVDs, Plus Five Bonus CDs ($64.90 Value)
Customers receive five of the company's best-selling DVDs, each with an accompanying bonus CD, including: Favorite Children's Songs, Favorite Nursery Rhymes, Favorite Sing-A-Longs, Baby Animals Favorite Sing-A-Longs, and Favorite Counting Songs. Bonus CDs contain hit songs from the movies and will keep kids clapping and singing the entire length of a cross-country car trip.

Baby Genius's award-winning children's products teach babies and toddlers essential skills through the power of music. Based on a bounty of research, the company's DVDs enrich the learning experience by merging classical pieces and familiar songs with vibrant images, keeping kids entertained for hours. Parents can sit back while animated animal educators teach pocket-size pupils better motor skills, dictionary-defying vocabularies, vampire-free counting, and nap-inducing dance moves that ready little ones for kindergarten and beyond.

Disclosure: Affiliate links used.

citrus lane


I love Citrus Lane! For $25 a month, I get a box filled with products recommended by moms in the know. I think you're going to love it, too.  Right now you can start your monthly subscription for less! Take 10% off the cost of your subscription with code SPRINGFUN. You'll save $7.50 on three months, $12.50 on six months, or $25 on twelve months!
The best part: You give them information about your child and the gift boxes are uniquely packaged appropriately for boys and girls of all ages.  Each month has a special theme - a few we have gotten so far...
April: Bath & bedtime {the box was filled with books & bath toys}
May:  "Fun in the sun" {pictured above} - Joel's sunhat is blue.  There is always a little bonus for Mommy, too, like hand creams & lip gloss :)
June: "Little Artist" He loves making music with his new tambourine & we can't wait to use our new organic finger paint.  Happy Tuesday! :)

  

Disclosure: Affiliate links used.

Monday, June 25, 2012

4th of July treat...





The greeting card company, Treat, is having a one-day sale on July 4th cards. You can get unlimited July 4th cards from Treat for only $0.99 (that’s 67% off!) by using the promo code TREATJULY4. July 4th cards are a great way to honor veterans, service members, or to just drop an early summer “hello.” And remember promo code TREATJULY4 to get them for only $0.99 :)

Disclosure: Affiliate links used

Friday, June 22, 2012

we are...

We are...and always will be...Penn State.
Justice has been served.

show us your life...dining room


 
Our dining room is pretty much an extension of our kitchen.  
We bought our dining set a few years ago and I absolutely love it!  
It's hard to tell in the picture, but it's a high top & I have always wanted one! 
I especially like the bench :)

I always decorate with a few patriotic pieces on Memorial Day and leave them out all summer.
Star dishes are from the dollar spot at Target {a find from several years ago}.
Tart burner from PartyLite {I bought those before we moved into our house almost eight years ago}!
Anchor place mat from Kohls {one of this summer's early markdowns}.
Lighting from Home Depot - I couldn't wait to get rid of the ugly brass chandelier the builder used!
 
This sever goes with the dining set & I love having the extra space for storage and decorating!
The hurricane candle, runner, pitcher, and serving tray are all from DaySpring 
The shelf & sconces are Home Interior.  
I got them when I hosted a party right after we got married...LOVE.  
Blocks are also from DaySpring {love that site}.  
I change the words to go with the current holiday or season.  
Right now it spells "Freedom."
My mother-in-law brought the bell {left on shelf} home from Jerusalem.
Right now the sconces have decorative floral napkins folded over inside.  
I love these because you can literally put anything in them & they look pretty :)
On right of server: our summer bucket list in a frame - we cross things off with a dry-erase marker as we go.  Yellow clay fish courtesy of Daniel's fourth grade art.
 This round side table was a Christmas gift from my parents the year after we moved into our house.  
This is another piece I absolutely love.  It has loads of storage space & I like to keep it decorated cute.
The wire candle is from Pier One.  Although you can't really see it, the square candle sits on an antique butterfly dish that belonged to my grandma...love keepsakes like this!  I keep our electric friendship {gift from a friend, how appropriate} candle lit all the time.  It works great for a night light on all those extra trips we make to the kitchen for Joel in the middle of the night :)

That's a peek into our dining room.  
It is not fancy, but it's where we eat almost every meal together as a family...love that.
Disclosure:  Don't be fooled...about 14 piles of clutter were cleared out for this photo shoot! 

pin-it friday

Here are my top four favorites from this week:

From the kitchen: 
 I made these on Tuesday & added them to my Completed Pins board {Idea from The Mom Creative}.  
Half of them are already gone.  We. Heart. Them.

 
This just makes me want to have a party!

I can only dream of being this organized!
...but, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm gonna try because a trip to the 
Dollar Tree is in my very near future:)

And...for the classroom
 What better way to make the kiddos accountable for their daily behaviors? :)

Linking to Pin-it Friday at 5 Minutes for Mom.



Thursday, June 21, 2012

FREE Lisa Leonard necklace!


Last Chance to receive a FREE necklace with any purchase!
The Let Love Grow Necklace is only available though this promotion,
we don't want you to miss out so shop now! (Details below.)
The exclusive Let Love Grow Necklace is hand cast in pewter (stamped with "let love grow" on the back) and strung with an 18" link chain, $36 value - but yours for free!
 
To get the free necklace purchase anything from our shop and use the code 'letlovegrow' at checkout. 
It will take 1% off your order total. When we see the code appear, we’ll know to add the free Let Love Grow Necklace to your package!
Today is your last day to get this amazing deal!
- Click Here to Shop - 
 
{Offer ends Thursday, June 21st, Midnight PST. Offer not valid with other coupons or promotions.}