It's Been A Week...

Since my hair color went from THIS...



And this...



To this...







And Emil still hasn't noticed.
Now this means one of two things... Either he's so used to me changing my hair color he doesn't even pay attention anymore ....OR....he just doesn't pay attention to me.

I think I'm hoping for the first one...

And.... Liz is having a wonderful giveaway over at her beautiful blog...check it out here or click on the icon on my side bar!

Lysol NO - TOUCH SYSTEM Review and GIVEAWAY

I was asked to do a review for Lysol's No-Touch Hand Soap System....

We absolutely LOVED it!!!!
"You will never have to touch a germy soap pump again!"

View a video of our No - Touch Soap System here....

There is a switch at the back so you can turn the system off and on. A sensor on this sleek stainless steel look system detects your hand and dispenses the exact amount of soap needed for a thorough hand washing. The anti-bacterial soap kills up to 99% of germs when used as directed. It was absolutely perfect...and a superb way to cut down on the spread of germs and help you to stay healthy.

With school starting back, millions germs are bound to enter your home. Good hand washing techniques ensure a way to minimize their spread.

The starter kit includes one dispenser, one bottle of antibacterial soap and 4 AA batteries. Four great scents are available:

Refreshing Grapefruit Essence
Soothing Cucumber Splash
Aloe Vera and Vitamin E with moisturizers - we were given this one, it is divine!!!
Antibacterial Total Care

Upon visiting the Lysol website you will find many helpful links, such as Handwashing Prevention Tips, a fun Handwashing Poster for kids and even some Back To School Basics for Germ Prevention.

I was also given a container of Lysol Dual Wipes...
These wipes have two sides that go way beyond ordinary wipes.


One side is soft for everyday messes and clean ups...
the other side is textured with built in tough fibers and is used to scrub through tough messes...
These wipes kill up to 99% of viruses and bacteria when used directly, even killing cold and flu viruses and H1N1!! It comes in scents Citrus and Crisp Linen.

The Lysol website also includes links about Before and After School Hygeine Habits, Cleaning and Disinfecting 101, Kitchen Cleaning Tips, and Bathroom Cleaning and Disinfecting Tips.

You can also enter to win the Whirlpool® Lysol No-Touch Stainless Kitchen Sweepstakes here!
While you're there don't forget to "like" them on Facebook!

Now for the giveaway......

One reader will win the No - Touch Soap System by leaving a comment on this post.

That's it.... just leave a comment telling me how this system would help you out or which room you would put this system in.

Receive Additional Comments by:

**being a follower, new or current**

**posting about this giveaway on your blog**

**tweeting about this giveaway**

** "like" Lysol on facebook, come back and let me know**

I received the free product as part of a promotional program with Lysol® and MomSelect.

...I'm Sorry ... (and Giveaway Winners)

I would like to start this post off by saying " I am sorry..." I have been a horrible blogger lately. The honest truth is, I have just been so busy. A quick run-down of my day....
7:00 - wake up/make breakfast/go to shop and get things up and running for Papa Bear
8:00-wake up girls/get homework going
9:00- back to shop/help Papa/do invoice/run errands
11:00-2:00-college
2:30-7:00-work with Papa Bear
8:00-make dinner if I'm lucky
9:00-clean up dinner dishes/wash clothes/clean house/water plants/take out trash
10:00-MAKE girls go to bed
11:00-take shower
11:30-1:30am - try to get some study time in

I have just been swamped! And grouchy and feeling so overwhelmed! But finals are next week and this should be the last weekend of killing myself with school/work overload!

So now.... back to Pink Saturday.... As always you can see more pinks at Beverly's How Sweet The Sound...go check them out!

The days I'm not in school I am in Austin helping Papa Bear work. (And not studying!) One of our favorites things to do in Austin is stop by Polkadots Cupcake Factory....



I snapped this pretty picture of the capital in Austin. When we go to the Cupcake Factory we like to take the streets downtown and look around before heading home.



But back to the cupcakes...this is my new favorite.. Blackwood Forrest... unbelievable! And I don't like chocolate!! Seriously! It's got a shot of cream cheese with mini chocolate chips inside. It is so so good!



Lena and Papa Bear had triple chocolate. They loved it!



CC had Cinnamon Sugar. It was perfect! Not too sweet and just a hint of lemon in the cake portion.





We took Mom one time last week. This time Lena chose S'mores. It was divine!!

I tried their Red Velvet. I was pretty anxious to try it and I was disappointed! It wasn't anything to write home about! CC had Vanilla and again it was perfect!

And now giveaway winners....

First.... the winner of the two Aromies by McKey is comment #7...

Marcia from Vintage French Hen.. Marcia, please email me your address so I can ship your package out to you!

And the winner for the $25 Scentsy Gift Certificate is comment #40...

Brittany from Forrest and Brittany.

Winners...please email me your addresses so I can send out your gifts! If I don't hear from the winners with in 48 hours I will choose new winners! I really had fun with this giveaway. I plan to do another Scentsy gift certificate giveaway soon!!

Thanks for stopping by and please visit Beverly for more Pink Saturday posts!

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See how busy I am.... I didn't even realize this Sunday is Mother's Day until I went over to link up to Beverly's blog!! Goodness I'm behind!

Scentsy Giveaway!!

In order to celebrate having over 100 followers AND my two-year blogiversary I am having not just one...but TWO giveaways!!

The first giveaway is for a $25 gift certificate for Scentsy.

I LOVE Scentsy. If you've never used it this is the perfect opportunity to find out just what it's all about! Scentsy is a flameless wickless candle company. They sell many different types of warmers in 3 convenient sizes, large, medium and plug ins. They offer scented wax that melts via a small light bulb.

I am super sensitive to smells and air fresheners. I love Glad plug-ins but can no longer use them because they give me migraines. I was skeptical of Scentsy when I first tried it but now I am hooked!! No headaches, no mess to clean up. The house smells wonderful! And my husband loves it!!

Scentsy also offers:
--> disk circles... I hung these in my car. It was PERFECT!
--> room sprays...just right if you want to freshen up a room in a hurry!
--> travel tins... perfect for you car!
--> scent buddy... cute, snuggly stuffed animals that you place a scent pack of your favorite scent inside for a snuggly, soft, sweet smelling toy! They are perfect baby gifts!

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The second giveaway is for a set of air fresheners. A girl I went to school with in Yoakum started making these air fresheners out of her house. They are so pretty....and they smell so good!! My favorite scent is Vanilla Leather. I know leather may not be everyone's cup of tea...but I am just crazy about it!

These air fresheners can be used in your car, office, closet, any room in the house. It will smell wonderful and it lasts quite a while. She doesn't have a website up yet, but as soon as she does I will probably do another giveaway for them! I just think they are so great everyone needs a chance to see what they are all about!



The two scents I chose for this giveaway are Pink Sugar and Birds of Paradise. Both are fresh and spring-like. Definitely scents everyone will love!



And each scent comes with a cute piece of twine by which to hang it!



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Rules of Entry:

1.) Leave a comment on THIS POST telling me which giveaway you would like to win.I will do my best to accommodate each winner.

2.) Visit my sister's Scentsy website here and tell me what you'd use your gift certificate on.

3.) Leave a comment telling me if you are a follower of my blog. Following my blog is not mandatory to win.
4.) If you win the pack of Aromies by McKey, tell me if you will keep them both or who you would give one away to.

5.) Post about this giveaway on your blog or add a link to your side bar. You can get an entry for each.

That's up to six chances to enter. Please leave a separate comment for each of the above that you do.

The winner will be drawn Saturday, May 7th.

Going Home - A Visit to the Country

We decided late Friday evening to take a day trip to Shiner and Hallettsville to visit my sisters and their families. We haven't been down since November so a visit was looong overdue! We first visited my sister Stacy. Her family had just left but we had a good time just chatting and catching up and of course looking through all of her good Scentsy products! My niece's daughter was calling every few minutes, so anxious for my girls to get there so could play. Lena didn't let me get many pictures but I managed to snap a few of her and Arianna swinging.

CC wanted to drive and Ari wanted to go to the cattle auction behind their house so off us girls went on a little adventure...and photo op!

Usually I am terrified of cows because when we were little my sister Stacy would tell me Grandpa's cow were going to come out of her closet and eat me when I fell asleep. I didn't think the cows would fit in her closet but I remembered how they run after the truck when you're feeding them and I didn't want to take any chances! I tried so hard not to fall asleep!!

These cows were actually afraid of me! They ran off (as much as they could) when I came up to take some photos. I felt kinda good about that!

Ari adores CC. She always has. She tells CC to buy her clothes just like the ones CC has. It is so sweet!

There was also this pretty horse on the other side of the auction ring. I was a little timid of it at first, but it was friendly and enjoyed the petting as much as I enjoyed petting it. I told Emil I am ready to have a small piece of land in the country with at least a horse or two. It would be so nice!

Lena refused to get out of the car and take pictures. I could hardly blame her! It was 94 degrees!! We were so hot but we were having so much fun!

Arianna definitely enjoyed taking pictures! That girl is fearless! She was climbing and swinging from stall to stall like a little monkey! Oh, the courage of kids...too bad we lose that when we get older!

This is by far my favorite picture of CC and Ari. I am thinking of framing it and sending it to her. She will LOVE it!

Mom and her youngest great-granddaughter. Ari is her first great-granddaughter. Camilla here loved having all the attention! She is so darn sweet!

While at my niece's house my sister Stacy texted and asked if we were going to come back through there because her husband and kids came home and wanted to see Mom. As we were driving the little country road the whole ten miles or so from Hallettsville to Shiner, John Denver's "Country Road Take Me Home..." came on the radio. It couldn't have been more appropriate. I love living in a bigger city. I enjoy all the amenities it has to offer. I can go to the bookstore anytime. I can have coffee anytime. I can grab Mexican food anytime. I can choose which movie theater I want to go to and don't have to drive an hour to get there. There is always an array of things to do.

------BUT-----

I miss out on the things that I used to take for granted...the things that now bring me so much joy! I miss seeing all the beautiful wildflowers on the side of the road. It wasn't as much as it was when I was small but they were there. They are just in need of a good rain!

I remember taking pictures on our way to church all dressed up in our church clothes sitting in thick blankets of bluebonnets. Every family had pictures like that. My girls would absolutely die if I asked them to sit in a patch of wildflowers on the side of the road and take pictures. Something we looked so forward to would seem like a punishment to them!

I miss the bales of hay that decorate the sides of the road. Today I think they are just beautiful. It wasn't uncommon for a young man to get a side job hauling hay. Hard work, yes! But something I never get to hear anyone complain about any more.

And seeing the buffalo at a couple of ranches was just as exciting me this past weekend as it was when I was young. I wonder if the people who drive past this everyday think it's as special as I do. Or, have they become immune to it?

I miss living in the country. I'm sad that my children will never know the carefree life it brings. They will never know the simple pleasures of sitting outside on the porch, rocking in a porch swing and waving at any neighbor that passes by. As it is my girls aren't even allowed outside alone. I wouldn't want to take that chance.

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On another note.... this is part of my giveaway. I haven't gotten a chance to get a giveaway post together yet...but I will. So until then, here is a sneak preview. Betcha can't figure out what it is!

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I am linking up to Blue Monday at Smiling Sally's wonderful blog!

Rednesday

It's Rednesday at Sherry's wonderful blog It's A Very Cherry World!!
You should really pay her lovely blog a visit and see more fun reds!!

Today I'm sharing a garage sale find I scooped up this weekend! It was the first garage sale I stopped at and it was the first item I picked up!!

I asked Lena to help me hold this baby up..see her in the corner? This throw is huge!

I fell in love with the black and white checks....

and of course the cherries....

It did have some damaged areas....

And I started thinking...this looks like it could be a Mary Engelbreit...

And then I saw it......

well actually my daughters saw it.

They asked me "What does ME stand for?"

I couldn't believe I found a huge Mary Engelbreit throw for the unbelievable price of...

That's right...one dollar!! I couldn't believe it!

What I also couldn't believe was that no one had picked it up yet!

I got to the garage sale around 9:30 a.m.

Anyone who goes to garage sales knows that's kinda late!

The girls love it...

They take turns "claiming" it. It's been in CC's room lately.

I love the colorful fringes on the top and bottom.

I picked up another great woven throw at a different garage sale in the same neighborhood.

The dark colors just remind me so much of fall.

I want to light my fireplace and grab a cup of hot tea and just snuggle up with this throw.

I just wish the weather would cooperate!

Love the fringes too....

We found this tag on the back side.

I did a brief search on this maker and found these throws cost over $100 on their website!!!

It does have some snags on it...

Still, not too bad for a woven throw that cost all of $3.00!!!

I claimed this throw. It feels so warm and comfy.

I also bought three cute plates. Two are Spode and one is the cut glass that I love.

These two throws and those three plates set me back a whole $8.50!

Now that's some good deals!

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Friday is the last day to enter my cultured pearl bracelet giveaway!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Helzberg diamonds is offering these beautiful pink cultured pearl bracelets by Honora pearls.

You can purchase them in the stores, not sure about online but I would think so, for only $14.99!

A very generous amount goes breast cancer research!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on the giveaway post here.

You can enter as many times as you like.

No strings attached!

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Don't forget to visit Sherry for more fun reds here!!