I am so excited to start using my new planner for homeschool teachers. There are many to choose from so go get yours now! I will do a complete review after I've been using my planner for a little while.
This is an affiliate link, so if you get your planner through my blog I get a percentage of the sale. They also have a great affiliate program so you can share these great products, too. 

Melissa and Doug

We love Melissa and Doug products. I wanted to make sure you know what Melissa and Doug is. Because until a few years ago I didn't. We love their products. They are durable, made with love and they last!


These were our first products.





Then for Christmas we received these two great puzzles. The Alphabet Animal Train and Dinosaur floor puzzles have big pieces that are great for little hands (and mom to clean up)! They are very thick and sturdy. The colors are very realistic and so are the animals represented in the pictures. 




And here are a few more that are on our wish list...





I am an affiliate (which means if you click on these links and make a purchase that I might make a little money) for Melissa and Doug. But, we honestly love their products. And plan on purchasing more in the near future. 

"Outlive Your Life" Book Review

Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference

By: Max Lucado

More in Outlive Your Life Series

Thomas Nelson / 2010 / Hardcover

Product Description

On Pentecost, the Spirit came down and ignited the hearts and minds of believers to preach the gospel and live out justice for the forgotten. Max Lucado wonders, Might it happen again? Does God still free hearts, minds and bodies from the ravages of sin and poverty? The answer is yes! He does it through you, and in Outlive Your Life he challenges you to make a difference that will last beyond your time on earth. Take a stand for children, widows, and families who only need an opportunity to live.One hundred percent of the author royalties from Outlive Your Life products will benefit children and families through World Vision and other ministries of faith-based compassion.

Review

This is a traditional Max Lucado book. He is encourages with stories and had loaded the book with great Bible verses. I read Fearless about a year ago and I, personally, thought that was more for me at that season of my life. I think Outlive Your Life would be great for a college student or someone looking for a ministry that is outside the box. This book may help you follow Jesus more closely. Lucado pulls references from the Bible and then specifically tells you ways to be more like Jesus, or whomever the story is referencing, in modern times. 

There is a Discussion and Action Guide in the back of the book that would be great for a small group or book club, as well as discussions with your spouse about things you can do within your marriage and family.  

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A Yummy Giveaway!

My good friend (from preschool, seriously!), Faun, has recently become an Independent Consultant with Scentsy! I am so excited about their products and can't wait to smell all the yummy scents! Here is the fun part, I am hosting a giveaway! You will win either a Scent Circle or a Travel Tin of your choice. There are lots of ways to enter, make sure you read all the rules! I will choose the winner next Friday, November (already?) 5th!

Rules and Ways to Enter

• Visit Faun's Scentsy website and leave a comment telling us what you would either get for yourself or a loved one this Christmas and include your email/contact info. (THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT IS A REQUIRED ENTRY) 
• Follow me or subscribe and leave a comment. 
• Buy anything from Faun's website and tell me what you got! (Unless it is for me!)
• Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave the link in a comment.

This is my favorite warmer and this is my favorite scent...

CSN Giveaway! WINNER!

Using Random.org to choose the winner...
The winner is entry #22
Julie said...

I follow your blog
thanks for the giveaway

Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway! Julie, I have sent your information to CSN and you should be contacted by email shortly with your gift certificate!

Kaleidoscope, A Book Review

I received Kaleidoscope by Patsy Clairmont from Booksneeze to review. It is a beautiful book with captivating cover art but that is about where the captivation ended for me.

Book Description


Acclaimed author and Women of Faith speaker Patsy Clairmont causes womens' hearts to leap and their hopes to lift in this quirky, straight-to-the point look at the Proverbs.


Understanding the Christian life and the Bible can be a daunting task. But maybe God didn't mean it to be so hard. In Kaleidoscope of Proverbs, Patsy Clairmont pieces together some powerful messages from God and reveals new facets of beauty, inspiration, and instruction. Written for busy women, Patsy offers brief, powerful chapters that address the key aspects of their lives, hearts, and relationships.


In the Proverbs, God gives us small gems of hope and truth, and in Kaleidoscope of Proverbs, Patsy Clairmont unveils them for readers with her trademark humor and insightful teaching.


I love that she uses Proverbs and brings it to modern day life but at times it was a bit lengthy and it was hard for me to get into. I think I prefer Proverbs in the raw, not all dressed up for modern day. It is the only book of the Bible that has really spoken to me, maybe that is why I had such a hard time with this book. Try it out for yourself and see. I'd love to hear your opinion.

YAY for Free Printables

simplemom
Executive Homemaker
Leo on the Loose
One Pretty Thing
Starfall
First School
Kaboose
Executive Homemaker
Free Printables

Simplify

Have you had the chance to read Joshua Becker's blog or book about simplifying your life? If you haven't then get over to his blog Becoming Minimalist. It has great inspiration for life in general but this post was written for me. He also has an e-book entitled Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life. You can preview the first 12 pages on his site. It is only $10 for the whole thing. Simplifying sounds like an awesome thing. One simple bit at a time!

I also love the simplemom, simplehomeschool, simplekids, simplebites, simpleorganic blogs. They share ways to make everything simpler.

If you are feeling weighed down by all the stuff in your life, maybe you need to have a simpler life. Purge the stuff and feel better, more appreciative for the things you do have.

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (New International Version)

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.

¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.

New Shoes!

I got new shoes!
They are hot pink and white.
They are super comfy.
I want to wear them every where.
They are running shoes.

Running? Shoes? Me? Yes.

I was on the track team in high school. Does anyone believe this fact? It was 15 years ago. I have pictures somewhere. I swear.

We were at Dick's Sporting Goods (buying hubs a mountain bike) and I decided I wanted running (?!?!?!) shoes. I have super low, almost flat arches. I need lots of support. I saw these and kind of jokingly tried them on just to see what the deal was. I chose the white shoe with HOT PINK zigzag! Too cute! and a little funky!

Ahhhhhhh, so comfy. So stable. No ankle rolling in these babies.

I've NEVER spent $100 on any pair of shoes... especially running shoes! But these are gonna change my life! (Gosh, I really hope so!)

CSN Product Review

Remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I'd be doing a review! Here it is! I was so excited to get an offer to review a product! CSN Stores is taking over the e-tailing market. They have everything your heart could desire! When I mentioned before Id be doing this review I talked about my kitchen specifically and how I was looking for the perfect way to finish it. I found these beauties! A beautiful spice rack and mail sorter!



I think it looks great, other than the mint green cupboards. I also wanted to mention that ordering was very easy from CNS Stores. It was shipped quickly and packaged well. The spice rack and mail sorter are both very sturdy and well made. Right now they are hanging with nails because I am not finished painting in the kitchen. The items did come with matching hardware. I will be making purchases from CSN stores in the future.

I was not paid for this review. I did receive $40 to put toward any item on the site with the only obligation being to do a review.

I've been searching...

for stuff to decorate and organize in my kitchen. I've searched high and low, not to mention expensive and cheap, to no avail.

Then one day I received an email from a nice girl at CSN Stores. She asked me if I'd like to review a product of theirs on my blog. Why would I pass that up? I went to the website to check it out (before I jumped at the chance to say yes) and see what they have to offer. Um, everything. They have everything. Seriously. Even corner tv stands, I should look into those for our bedroom.

So, while I wait patiently for the goods to arrive you can wait patiently for my review! Stay tuned!

LOVE this stuff!

Cleanwell hand sanitizers are made with a patented formulation of essential plant oils lab proven to kill 99.99 percent of the harmful germs. Cleanwell is the only hand sanitizer that is all-natural and alcohol-free. The ingredients in Cleanwell are safe for kids, non-toxic, and come from rapidly renewable resources that grow abundantly worldwide. They are reasonably priced and I love the refreshing scent!



[note to overseas military readers, they do not ship overseas but the commissary carries this!]

Etsy of the Week

DizzylizzyLand is my Etsy Shop of the week! Make sure to stop by and see her cute stuff! She crocheted me an awesome turtle and I'd take a picture of it but I haven't found my turtles since the move! Also check out her blog!

Etsy of the Week

Chrystal's Etsy Shop is called Ziggy Stitch. She does custom embroidery and has some really cute items in her shop. She now carries some really great jewelry (made by her daughter), too. Go shop! I have my very own Turtle (of course) Zipper Pouch!

Etsy of the Week

This week's Etsy Shop is Punker-Do Designs! Jill is an expert organizer and all around crafty girl! Check out her shop and great home management items! Click here to visit her blog, too.

Etsy of The Week!

Each week I will be sharing a great Etsy shop with you! If you have an Etsy shop email me the link and I will choose one to share with my readers! If you don't know what Etsy is, then get your butt over there and check it out!

This week's Etsy shop is Gussy! I found Gussy on Like A Warm Cup of Coffee this morning and love it! Here is Gussy's blog, too.

Friday Favorite!

My wonderful husband came home from Costco with some yummy Organic Blue Agave. I've been wanting to try this for a while now. I had some in a cup of hot tea last night. I liked the taste and am looking forward to trying it in everything!

Write about your favorite things and leave your link in a comment!

My New Blog!

elcome!
I'm excited to start a new blog. It is like opening a fresh, beautiful new journal. You can hear the paper and binding make that magical sound that resembles a sigh. Can you hear the pen lightly scratching against the crisp, white page? I prefer blue ink, just so you know. I'm glad you're here...