I'm asking Santa for the Ceiva Digital Frame!

If you haven't seen this digital frame, you HAVE to check it out! For those of you with loved ones that live far away, this frame will be invaluable to you. With the ability to receive new pictures daily via an existing phone line or computer, Ceiva is set high above the standards of your ordinary digital photo frame!

In three simple steps, you could be receiving photos instantly. First, choose the frame that is perfect for you! Second, register your frame and activate your PicturePlan membership. Third, send pictures from your camera phone or computer. It's THAT EASY! Better yet, with $100 off the original price and free shipping, you can't go wrong!

Ceiva also has a fun way for you to sit on Santa's lap without leaving the comfort of your own home and a contest you can enter to win $500 to buy whatever it is that is on the top of your wishlist this year! I chose the above picture of me and one of my best friends to sit on santa's lap for the interactive video because it's such a fun picture and one that I'd definitely want loaded into my frame! 29 randomly chosen lucky people will win this contest (one for each day of the contest). If I win, I'll definitely be getting a Ceiva digital photo frame for myself and my mother!

Go sit on Santa's Lap today and tell him what you're wishing for this year!

Got a Wish Sweeepstakes

Giveaway ends tomorrow!

There's still time to enter my Giveaway for a free Miracle Set from Mary Kay! Check it out!!

My Christmas shopping is officially underway!

I went out and braved the crowds yesterday and got some really great deals! Here are some of the things that I picked up for a really great price!:

Playskool's Wheel Pals Triple Track Tower for $7.99 (regular $19.29)

Doodle Pro Basic for $8.99 (regular $15.99)

First Act 30" Acoustic Guitar for $19.99 (regular $29.99)

Free Track Pack with the Purchase of GeoTrax Grand Central Station ($49.99 with $16.99 free)

Apples to Apples $11.99 (regular $24.99)

Cook's 12-cup Programmable Coffee Maker $14.88 with $10.00 mail in rebate (regular $49.99)

I also got some great childrens separates for my niece and nephew from JC Penney for $3.99 per piece that are regularly $9.99 per piece and some fleece to make some "no-sew" blankets for $2.99 per yard. I came home with LOTS of great gifts! Now I just have to get my tree and all of my decorations up. I'm really excited for Christmas and am in the holiday spirit!

Did anyone else brave the crowds yesterday? What kind of deals did you come home with?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving before I head out to my parents house today to celebrate with my whole family! I have so much to be thankful for, a wonderful family, fabulous friends (in real life and online), good health, a roof over my head and food on the table. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Take advantage of a great deal with Pexagon!

Are you looking for the perfect gift for that person that has you stumped? How about a gift for your boss, co-worker, techie type brother-in-law or friend? Pexagon is offering 20% off 4 great personalized holiday gifts personlized holiday gift ideas from now until the end of the year! You have to check this out!

Personalized Thumb Drives - available in 14 colors, up to 16GB in capacity with FREE custom laser engraving! Choose from one of their 32 exciting themes such as "#1 Teacher" or "Happy Holidays" and engrave two lines of personalization text on the reverse side! Starting at $7.99 after discount. These are perfect gifts for your co-workers and your children's teachers!

Personalized Pens - 3 unique styles, multiple colors and a FREE line of personalized laser engraved text! Starting at $1.59 after discount. What a great gift idea for your boss! Every professional likes a pen that looks nice and writes really well.

Business Card Flash Drives - It looks like a business card but the back side hides a small USB cable (huge 2GB capacity) and the front side can be engraved for FREE with 3 lines of personalization text! Starting at $15.99 after discount. These are perfect for men and women who could slide it right in and out of their wallet or breifcase for safe keeping!

Wooden USB Flash Drives - environment-friendly, wooden design with attached cap and two color choices. Available in 2GB and 4GB capacities with 2-sided custom laser engraving absolutely FREE! Starting at $15.99 after discount.

Check out these personalized holiday gifts TODAY!!

I love Zales!

I have to tell you about the wonderful experience that I recently had with Zales Online. For Mother's Day last May, my wonderful husband purchased the stackable mothers rings that I had asked for in the two boys birthstones for me. Since Zales doesn't carry the specific item that I wanted in their stores, he had to purchase it online. Of course, my husband waited until the very last minute before buying these rings for me and when he completed the purchase, he realized that it would take up to two weeks for shipping! In a panic he went out and bought be a new set of golf clubs so that I would have a gift to open on Mothers Day but lo and behold, the rings arrived within 4 days and on a Saturday to boot! When I opened the box on Sunday, I was stunned. I not only didn't know that he had actually ordered them for me, but they were more beautiful in person than they were on the screen! I was extremely happy! Only one slight problem... they didn't fit. Now, to return them. I was nervous sending them back through the mail to Zales, but within a few days there was a credit posted back into our account for the full purchase price. So easy!

Finally, a few weeks ago I got back around to re-ordering them. I felt kind of guilty that hubby had spent so much money on me. I mean, after all I wanted to keep the golf clubs too! I went online and re-ordered them in the correct size and they arrived as quickly as they did the last time. I love wearing these rings! They remind me of my boys and they are a great conversation piece. Everyone is asking me where I got them from and I proudly say "check out Zales!".

My Shopping Spree today!

I'm on vacation from work this week, so a friend and I decided to go shopping today. We went to an indoor outlet mall that's about 30 minutes from home and spent the day away from kids and work. What a GREAT day! I got some really good deals on clothes for the boys and some new gym shoes for myself. I'm exhausted though and still fighting a cold that has morphed into an awful cough. Tomorrow the boys and I are going to find something fun to do together. Any suggestions?

It's Play Time With Daddy!

Here is how the typical play time with daddy goes every night at my house. I call him "jungle gym daddy" cause the boys climb and jump all over him!

Anyone have a good recipe?

Well, I think I'm set on the menu for Sunday. I bought the bird today.. all 20 lbs. of her! I just hope I don't let her (or my guests) down!

Since there are a few people that don't like green bean casserole, I decided to make some yummy glazed carrots instead. Only problem is.... I've never made them before. LOL! Anyone have a recipe for yummy glazed carrots?

Christmas of Dreams Holiday Bash Day #5!

I've taken a couple of days off from the party due to some family emergencies, but I'm back and ready to join in on the fun!

Today's sponsors are Baby Pop and Chic Covers

The question of the day is:

Today, make a blog post about what you do to give back during the holidays. Do you volunteer your time? If so, please tell us where. What do you do to teach your children the true meaning of the holidays?

This is a great topic. As the holidays approach, I realize that I have so much to be thankful for. I have my health, a wonderful family, a roof over my head, food to eat, a job to go to, clothes to wear... I could go on and on. I do realize though that there are many people that do not have the things that I do.

Every year I make sure to give back in some way, even if it's only a small amount. I've always donated at least one new toy to Toys for Tots. As my children get older, I want them to understand the importance of this as well. Brendan, I believe, will be old enough this year to understand the concept of giving and so I will start this tradition with him this year. Each year I will take the boys shopping and ask them to pick out a toy (with a value up to a certain set amount) that they really like. I will purchase that toy and have them help me wrap it up to give to a child in need. I hope that this will instill in them that although it's fun to receive gifts, it's equally rewarding to give. As I explain to them why we are giving these toys away, I hope that they will understand and grow in their hearts from the experience.

When my children are older I would love to take a day near the holidays to volunteer at a local children's hospital or nursing home. I think this would be a great way to bond as a family, while giving to our community.

Every year I sponsor a member or two of a needy family that is chosen by my employer. Last year my employer chose a family through a charity called Helping Hands.

Black Friday!

Only 10 more days until the biggest shopping day of the year! Well, one of the biggest anyway. You're either a Black Friday lover, or a Black Friday hater. I don't think there's any in-between on this one. I've heard people either exclaim about how excited they are to go shopping at the crack of dawn (or earlier) and the others exclaim about how people are absolutely insane to go out shopping so early and with those crowds.

As an avid shopper, I LOVE Black Friday! I love the hustle and bustle. I love to see what other people are buying. I love to find a great deal. So, I'll be up in the middle of the night shopping! Has anyone taken a sneak peak at the ads yet? They're out there and there are some definite goodies! Here are some sites for you to check out the ads that are posted.

The Official Black Friday Website

Here are some online deals that are available right now!

Tell me what you'll be waiting in line for this year! I've got my eye on a Garmin GPS that's on sale at Office Max for $100 off the price that it's listed for right now. That little baby's going in Mama's stocking this year!

My first Thanksgiving in the drivers seat!

So, I just volunteered myself to make Thanksgiving dinner this coming Sunday for my husband's side of the family. YIKES! I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to pull it off as I absolutely love to cook, but I've never made a turkey before! And... gravy was never one of my strong points. Does anyone have any advice to offer in that area? Please?? Also, I'm curious to hear what everyone's favorite side dish is. We're having mashed potatoes and stuffing, and I'm used to my favorite green bean casserole, but my husband hates green bean casserole and so does his sister. I figured I'd start searching now for the perfect alternative. I'm hoping that someone will have the perfect suggestion for me!

When it rains it pours!

Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately. I thought it was time to let you all know why. Here are some of the events that have happened in the last week or so:

A little over a week ago, my father-in-law had a heart attack. It was a scary time for my husband and our family. I'm happy to say that he's home from the hospital finally and doing well.

The same night that my father-in-law had his heart attack, my dad was in the hospital as well for internal bleeding. It turns out that the bleeding was a result of an inflamed esophagus from his terrible bouts of acid reflux. Thank goodness it wasn't anything serious! He was able to go home the next day after some observation of his blood levels.

Last Thursday I picked the boys up from daycare to find Keegan's eye all puffy and oozing with yellow discharge. Yuck! I took him to the doctor to find out that he had periorbital cellulitis and an ear infection. He was put on an antibiotic and his eye was back to normal by Saturday evening.

The biggest scare of them all though, happened this past Friday. My mom calls me and says that my dad had called her at work and said that he had just called 911 because he couldn't breathe. She arrived at home just in time to talk to one of the EMT's and to follow them to the hospital. He was about 5 minutes from being put on a respirator and completely blue. He's had a history of emphysima and congestive heart failure. After a night of observation in the ICU, he was stable and breathing clearly again. His cardiologist did a heart cathederization this afternoon and he should be discharged tomorrow.

Now, I'm sick with a terrible cold/flu and miserable. I've been in bed for two days and am hoping that I'll wake up in the morning feeling all better.

Pray with me that this storm will be over soon!

Kristen's Custom Creations - Giveaway!

Have you checked out Kristen's Custom Creations on Etsy? I hadn't until yesterday, and let me tell you, her stuff is stunning and will make fabulous gifts for some of the people on my holiday gift list! Kristen makes some of the most unique and beautiful hand-stamped jewelry and her prices are extremely reasonable. Better yet, she's extremely giving and donates a portion of her proceeds to a different charity each month!

December's charity is Toys for Tots. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

Kristen has a new necklace, and it's perfect for the holiday season! Stamped with "Wish" with a sterling star charm, this item is sure to be a hit! This necklace is being offered on Kristen's Etsy site for $39.90, with $5.00 from each being donated to Toys for Tots. Lets all make an effort in one way or another to help make Christmas special for a child in need. Purchasing this item from Kristen is just one way to do this!

Would you like to WIN one of these gorgeous necklaces? I know I would! Head over to Cheaper Than Therapy for your chance to enter her drawing. You'd better hurry, the contest ends on 11/19/08!

Blog Party Day #2!

Today is day #2 of the blog party over at Mom Dot. If you haven't checked it out yet, head over there. There are lots of prizes to be given away and lots of fun people to party with!

Today's sponsors are: LaPlates, Lets Go Strolling and Natity's Design

Today's Question is:

Traditions, what are some of your favorite family traditions? What are some that you want to begin?

Wow, that's a great question and something that I've been thinking about a lot lately! When I was young, my mom (single mom) always bought a real tree and my sister and I would help string popcorn and cranberries, decorate cookies, and buy Sanders chocolates all to hang on the tree. At the time, I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled about taking a giant bowl of cranberries and popcorn and stringing them onto some thread. I used to poke myself with the needle all of the time! Grrr.. but now that I think about it, those are some really great memories! My boys are still small and our family is not complete (at least I don't think so!) and I'm trying to think of traditions to create that my whole family can participate in and enjoy, creating memories in the process.

So, I will be stopping by a lot of blogs today to see what everyone's traditions are so that I can get some ideas of what other children really enjoy doing! I'd love to hear some comments as well of things that I can do now, while my boys are still very little.

Blog Party!

Today is day one of the blog party over at MomDot! All my friends know that I love a good party, so I had to join in on this one! The sponsors today are LaBelle Toile and This and That by Randi.

Today's Question:

Introduce us to your family and show us Holiday pics of years past.

This is me and my boys on Christmas Day 2006. Can you tell we were all exhausted? Keegan's there, but still baking in my belly at the time.

Here is Brendan on his first Christmas Eve

Here is Keegan with Santa last year. I have a feeling the visit with Santa won't go as well this year...

This is Brendan last year. He wouldn't go near Santa. I have a feeling he won't be into it this year either. I guess I can't blame him!

Giveaway!

Who doesn't want and strive to have flawless, beautiful skin? With Mary Kay's Timewise products, perfect skin is easy to achieve! I am a faithful user of MK's TimeWise Miracle Set. The Miracle Set includes 4 products that will keep your skin healthy and feeling silky smooth.

TimeWise 3-in-1 Cleanser. This product combines three essential functions all in one step - cleanse, exfoliate, and refresh. The beads in the cleanser will gently exfoliate your skin to leave it healthier and younger-looking.

TimeWise Age Fighting Moisturizer - Hydrates your skin for up to 10 hours leaving your skin firmer, smoother and with fewer lines and wrinkles.

TimeWise Day Solution Sunscreen SPF 25 - Think of this as a veil of defense. This product helps prevent fine lines and discoloration by blocking damaging UVA/UVB rays.

TimeWise Night Solution - Packed with vitamins and antioxidants combined with collagen-enhancing peptides, the microcapsules in this solution burst as they are dispensed to fight away deep lines and wrinkles.

Would you like to win your own Miracle Set? The winner will be able to choose which formula will work best for their skin type, Normal to Dry or Combination to Oily.

To enter, leave me a comment telling me what your normal skin care routine is at the moment.

For extra entries (leave a seperate comment for each entry):

1. Grab my button and place it on your sidebar

2. Blog about this giveaway and link back to me!

3. Follow my blog

This contest will end on November 30, 2008.

Stay tuned for my first giveaway!

There are so many giveaways everywhere I go! It's truely overwhelming in a VERY good way!

Stay tuned here for a giveaway that you mommies will love. Some products to pamper yourself with will be given away soon!

More Bloggy Love!

My second award! I'm so humbled and honored. Thanks to Just Another Stay at Home Mom for this lovely award. I think your blog is really cool too!

Here's the dealio:

1. Slap this baby up on your blog. Don’t be shy.

2. Link to the giver

3. Nominate up to seven other fab blogs.

4. Post links to those super fly blogs your nominating.

5. Leave messages for your recipients on their blogs…so they can feel as special as you do!

So here are the super-cool blogs I pass this award to!

1. Mommy Goggles

2. Following in My Shoes

3. Tip Junkie

4. Mommy Chronicles

5. Keeper of the Cheerios

6. Thoughts from the Mrs.

7. The Neurotic Mom