Strider Running Bike

Check this out!  What a fun product- I totally want one for TJ now.  Go to the Funky Monkey to enter to win one- ends Oct. 22nd.

Kid's Toy Car Mat- Tutorial

This is not a step-by-step picture tutorial since I didn't take pictures of the process, but still I hope I can tell you how I did this so you can make your own if you so desire.

Materials:

Canvas (as large as you want- mine is about 6' by 8')

Double-wide bias tape (I used blue, but any color will do)- 3 packages or 9 yds

Tacky Glue

Fabric Paint Markers (as many colors as you'd like)

Grey Acrylic Paint

Green Acrylic Paint

Paint brush

1 Sponge

Green Flower-pot Foam (just a square)

2 pencils

Black Sharpie (not too thick)

First you want to draw out your plan on a separate piece of paper. Draw the roads first- leave enough room for many houses and buildings- you can draw your city with straight or curvy streets, I did a combination of both. You can also add a train track and river.

You will then need to decide where each building/house is going to go. Decide what you'd like on your mat- some suggestions: you house, Grandparent's houses, hospital, park, gas station, school, church, ice cream store, fire station, parking lot, police station, zoo, airport, lake, swimming pool, soccer field, etc. Add places that your child will recognize so it is more personal. Be creative and have fun!

Once you've got your design then you'll want to start drawing (with pencil) on your mat. Push your two pencils into your green foam so that they are 1 1/2-2 inches apart. You'll use this to draw your roads and keep them even. Once your roads are drawn then you can start putting in your buildings. Draw your buildings- lightly- with pencil then color them in with your paint markers. You should also color trees, flowers, and bushes, but DO NOT color in grass yet- that will be at the end. 

Once your buildings, trees, bodies of water, flowers, bushes, etc. are all drawn then you can start painting the roads. It works best to use grey acrylic paint with a paint brush instead of a paint marker. The canvas might get bumps in it, but don't worry, the cars will drive just fine on it and the bumps will disappear eventually. I liked to outline my buildings with my black sharpie so they were more defined. I also used the sharpie to label the major buildings on the mat and outline the roads.

Once all your roads and buildings are drawn and colored then add all the finishing touches- stop signs, railroad crossing signs, a footpath, animals (cows, sheep, etc.). When your mat is all drawn as you would like then it is finally time to do the grass. Use the sponge and dab it into some green paint. Make sure you test it on paper before you put it on your mat so it isn't too thick. You then sponge all over the mat and put grass on all the empty spaces. I did some fields of yellowish grass since it is very brown and yellow by where we live. The rest I did just green or a combination of green and yellow. I also sponged yellow around the lake and pond to make it look like sand.

Let you mat dry overnight then it is time to put the binding on. Put the seam of your bias tape against the edge of your mat. Glue the bottom on first with your tacky glue while folding over the corners. Once the bottom is glued on then do the same thing with the top. Cut your extra bias tape in half and you have two ties to tie up your mat with after you roll it up to store it. I rolled up my mat then glued the middle of each strand to the back of the mat so that they would be there to tie each time I rolled the mat up and I wouldn't lose them.

And now you have a wonderful, personalized car mat that your kids will play with for years and years!

Harry Potter Boxed Set Giveaway

I'm currently reading the Harry Potter series again, and it's still good!!  Here is a great opportunity to enter a giveaway to win the complete boxed set of Harry Potter books.  These would make a great present (to me), a great add to your library, or a great oppotunity to finally read the books that all your friends, nephews, co-workers, neighbors, and cousins have been pestering you to read for the past 7 years.

Go on over to the Park Avenue Princess and sign up for her Harry Potter giveaway.  You have until October 16th so don't wait until it's too late!

The Workbox Giveaway- AMAZING!!!

As you know, I don't blog about a giveaway unless I think it is truely something that I would love to have and this is one of those items. I've been freaking out just looking at it and have already imagined it in my house with myself at that cute little desk working on all my awesome crafts and scrapbook projects. Think of how organized you would be and of all the space you would have for all your Scrapbook storage needs. Sigh... Ok, I'm back:) I wanted to tell you all about it as well so we all have a chance to win (although you have to let me come over and do crafts or scrapbook with you if you win).


Anyway, here are the deets: There are 10 blogs that are participating in this giveaway and you can enter at all of their sites. Then, on Oct. 10 (some of the blogs ends on Oct. 8), each blog will select a winner who will win either a ScrapMaBob or a Ribbon Box. Then one of those 10 winners will be selected as the grand winner and they will get their $1295.00 Workbox from The Origianl Scrapbox.


So what are you waiting for?! Go on over to each of these blogs and enter to win and good luck!
Make it and Love It

Rachelle Writes (Make sure if you sign up on her blog that you mention that Rachel Whitchurch send you there and I'll get extra entries!)

Vanilla Joy

Priscilla Styles (mention I sent you!)

My Organized Chaos

My Life as Lou

The Mommy Files

Auntie Thesis

Capadia Designs

Cricut Christmas

Also you can use the coupon code: 100WRITES for a $100 shipping discount.

The Original Scrapbox

So this is now one of my favorite companies and I just found it today! Granted, they are pretty pricey, but I love the products they offer. I've always had a problem with crafting/scrapbooking and SPACE. I'll start a project and it just takes over the house, which was annoying when I didn't have kids and is pretty impossible now that I do have a kid! I think the Workbox and Minibox (seen here) are a stylish and great organizable solution. Take a look at their site- The Original Scrapbox and see what I mean! Enter this code when you place your order to get $100 off your shipping: 100Writes

Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway for your own Workbox (see next post!)

$25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for only $1

Wow! For the first time ever Restaurant.com has a coupon code for 90% off! You can purchase a $25 gift certificate for only $1!! This is a limited time offer so you'll have to hurry- it ends Sept. 13th at 3:01 AM PST. Just enter the coupon code NINETY at checkout.

I've never tired Restaurant.com before, because they don't have any restaurants where I live, but I think I'll try it this time and just get a certificate for when we go to Colorado or Utah.

Happy Eating!

So... How Come Nobody Ever Told Me?

I recently received an interesting e-mail that was all about the amazing benefits of dryer sheets. Apparently they are the best thing since sliced bread and applesauce, so how come nobody ever told me? I've always thought that dryer sheets were only for sticking in the dryer (when you remember) and then falling out as you retrieve your clothes only to end up on your bathroom floor to get stepped on or stuck in your pants to give you a nice surprise when you put them on! Little did I know that I should be using dryer sheets in every room of my house, my car, in my clothes (on purpose), in the yard, and in my sink!


Anyway, I'm not sure how many of these I actually believe, but I think I'm going to try a bunch out just to see. (I still think this might be a conspiracy from the Bounce company to sell more dryer sheets, but oh well). Have you tried any? What works and doesn't work for you?

1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice. (Yeah right! I tried this with the nasty ants in our kitchen yesterday and they walked all over it... the best thing was to spray the little buggers.)

2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle. (Can't say I've ever had mice in my car...)

3. It takes the odor out of old books and photo albums. (Mmm... I love the smell of old books!)

4. It repels mosquitoes. Keep a sheet in your pocket or belt loop. (I tried this, and I'm not sure if it worked since I still got bit, but I think I got bit less than I would have otherwise).

5. Eliminate static electricity from your tv or computer screen. (well, it eliminated the dust on my tv, I'm not sure about the static)

6. Clean shower doors with a sheet to dissolve soap scum. (I have a shower curtain, will that work?)

7. Put a sheet in your vacuum cleaner. (I assume that means the bag- I'll be trying this since our vacuum smells like vomit- don't ask because I don't know why!)

8. Freshen your car by putting a sheet under you car seat. (Ok, I can see how that would work- I'll try as soon as I remember to bring a dryer sheet to the ar).

9. Put a sheet in your luggage before storing to prevent musty suitcases.

10. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between food and the pan. (Hmm... I've found that DISH SOAP does the same thing, but what do I know).

11. Put a sheet in your pocket to keep bees/yellow jackets away.

12. Deodorize shoes or sneakers by placing a sheet in them overnight. (Worth a try for any stinky shoe).

13. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth. (next time I get out the drill I'll let you know)

14. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet will magnetically attract all the loose hair. (Getting rid of the cat can work too...)

Well, there are more, but you get the idea. If you happen to try any out let me know. Maybe I'm too cynical for my own good, but maybe I just feel silly for actually throwing away these magical little dryer sheets.

Perfect Hide-a-key

I'm always in fear of locking myself out of my house- especially when I take the dog out and my son is still in the house!! I've had two neighbors, in the last week, lock themselves out of their apartments! The one time we did it (in this apartment) we took off the screen and climbed through the window (but I really should keep the windows locked too!).

Anyway, here is the PERFECT hide-a-key option. It's called RocLock and it's just as it sounds- a rock that you put your key in (and have your own code for that you can change when you need to). It looks just like any other rock and is a good weight to hold it down. I'm not quite sure why it needs to be bulletproof, but it really seems wonderful and so much safer. I really want one, and that's why I thought I'd tell you about the giveaway on My Mom's View. Check it out and good luck!

Maternity Tops to Die For!

Ok, one thing that is hard about being pregnant (no I'm not yet... give it time) is finding CUTE maternity clothes that are also a good price AND comfortable! Well, I just found this giveaway for a maternity top from Milan Maternity and I LOVE THEM ALL!!! I got so excited looking at all the cute tops and basics that I couldn't decide which was my favorite to enter the giveaway! I think I love them so much because they totally remind me of my favorite clothes store, Shade Clothing, which has modest, cute, and comfortable clothes. Looking at all their fun maternity tops made me want to be pregnant again (even more than I already want to be). Go check out the giveaway on A Mom's Balancing Act and sign up to win your own maternity top! Can you tell how excited I am that I found this company!?! Anyway, the giveaway ends on August 19 so good luck!

Books Giveaways

I love reading and our family has always been big on books. Here are three current giveaway for books:

I'm Your Bus- This is a cute picture book about a bus that is in-your-face fun as he goes on his adventures through the town and meets all sorts of fun cars/truck along the way. There are two giveaways for this book, each giveaway has one grand prize (book, and 2 lunchboxes) and three runner-up prizes (the book). You can enter on Mom Fuse or 3 Kids and Us or both!


Book Bouquet- I've never seen gift baskets that are so fun and cute! They combine books with fun treats/toys to make the perfect gift basket for the perfect occasion. I love the Get Well baskets, Kid baskets, Boredom baskets... well, I pretty much love them all! Just be careful because some of them have coffee or tea packets included (if you care about such things). Anyway Playground for Parents is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Book Bouquets.

Baby Signs Pop-up Book- You may not know, but I've been teaching my son sign language and he LOVES it! He loves the videos, but I also want to have some books to teach him as well- since I love books more than anything. 3 Kids and Us is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Babies R Us Gift Card and the Baby Signs Pop-Up book and 4 runner-ups will recieve the book.

Big Bug Lunch! Book- My Mom's View is giving away a cute picture book called Big Bug Lunch! First in a series called the "Klunker Kapers" it's a cute silly book that explores eating bugs:) Go here to enter this fun giveaway to win a Big Bug Lunch! book.

Pioneer Day

Today is Pioneer Day! I know I don't live in Utah anymore, but I have a hard time not wanting to celebrate such a great holiday. Pioneer Day is a Utah holiday that celebrates some of the first pioneers that crossed the plains and mountains to settle in Utah. I believe it's also the day that Brigham Young looked up from his sick-bed upon the Salt Lake Valley and said, "This is the Place!" I have many pioneer ancestors (I'm reading about Robert Taylor Burton right now) and I'm thankful for their sacrifices and strong faith that helped them leave their homes and settle in an unknown land. I hope you all have a Happy Pioneer Day! (It really should be a national- or at least Western States- holiday...)

Sleep Number C4 Queen Bed Set Giveaway! $1,400 value

That's right! I found a great site where they are giving away a Sleep Number bed! Jeff and I have needed a new bed for a while now, but we just can't afford it. We've started to get used to the "taco" mattress effect, but it would be SO nice to have a new Sleep Number bed of our very own! You can adjust the firmness with a handheld remote and the pillowtop has "a 1 1/2 inch layer of comfort material that provides edge-to-edge cushioning"! Just head over to Thrifty Jinxy and sign up to win today, but do it quick since this giveaway end July 27! (Be aware that this is a BlogHer '09 special so if you aren't there you won't have as many chances to win, but you can still enter).

Harry Potter Reading Challenge

So, for those of you who aren't Harry Pottered out here is a fun challenge with prizes to boot! Over on GalleySmith you can find a challenge to read all the Harry Potter book 1-7 within the next year. That's right, you have from August 1, 2009- July 31, 2010 to read all the books. Considering the last time I read them took me a three weeks to get through all seven books I think I can handle all the books in one year. Anyway, you can chat with others about the books and sign up to win monthly? prizes as well. I know the first prizes are a complete boxed set of paperback Harrys and a complete boxed set of hardbound Harrrys. Good luck and happy reading!

Life is not easy

Many times in my life I've found myself thinking too much about me. When this happens I start to get depressed and I often feel lonely or neglected. I start thinking of all MY problems and all MY needs and how they aren't being met. I have a great pity party and get down on others for not noticing my problems or for not helping me in the way I think they should. At times like this I often need a kick in the rear to get me over myself and to have me get my priorities straightened out.

Life is not easy- it's not meant to be. There will be change, there will be trails, there will be tears and growing. We are here to learn how to become like our Heavenly Father which is anything but easy, but oh so worth it! I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who keeps me on the right course and gives me a good kick every now and then if I start thinking too much of myself.

I've found that at hard times- times of fear, loneliness, sadness, doubt etc. that the easiest and quickest way to turn "my frown upside down" is to forget myself and help someone else. When I serve others I am helping someone have an easier day or making their circumstance just that much more bearable and I'm also doing my Heavenly Father's work. As it says in Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

I'll probably have to work on this my entire life, but I hope that each time I learn this lesson that I can do a little better. I can see others and help them instead of worry about myself and I can learn from my own trials how to help others get through those same times. Heavenly Father loves us and if we trust in Him with all our hearts He will direct our paths.

Saving Money and Loving It!!!

So, I just wanted to drop a quick note and say how much I'm in love with the whole saving money thing. I've always considered myself a savvy shopper, but until recently have never really explored all the ways to actually save money. I'm finally cutting coupons and using them and I've also started taking a little more time to find coupon codes or other ways to save before I buy. I'm astounded by my success in just one week of actually trying!

Case 1: The grocery store. I planned ahead, cut coupons, looked at the weekly ads and bought only what was on sale, and did the "buy 10 certain items and save $5" thing. Results: $66 dollars of groceries- saved $29- total $37.

Case 2: Online shopping. I waited until the amazing swimsuit that I wanted went onto clearance. I then only decided to get it during the 4th of July "take an extra 10-30% off" sale was on. I got a friend to split shipping/tax with and I used a $10 off code that I had. I then found another code online and plugged it in for a 5% discount. Finally I joined their club (free) and received an extra little discount (and will receive future coupon codes). Results: $58 top/bottom swimsuit- saved $44- total $14.