Giveaway {Dress me up- custom onesies, leggings, and more}

I think I have some of the best blog followers ever.  So in honor of you, I have another exciting giveaway today. 

My sister is the owner of a small business.  She is the most creative person, and I begged her to let me share her talents with all of you.  She graciously agreed and is so excited.  Heck, I am so excited to share her awesome creativity with you.

I want one of these for Tess.  I should have ordered it before Valentines.  Lindsay… I need one of these please.

She is so creative, and can make almost anything you want.

She makes adorable onesies, and matching baby legs.  She also makes t-shirts for toddlers. She made the most adorable shirt for Tess when she turned two. I will be sharing a photo of her in that adorable shirt in my next post.

The sky is the limit with her.  She can design almost anything you have in mind.

This is perfect for Valentine’s Day. She can create anything for any Holiday.

I would have loved these for my boys when they were little.  Baby legs are perfect for those little ones who are just learning to crawl.

Lindsay is giving away a custom onesie and a matching set of baby legs to one of my readers.

 

If you don’t have a baby, it would make a great gift for someone.  Lindsay is going to be my go to shop for all my baby showers.

She is also giving 10% off to anyone who places an order with her and mentions my name.  Yeah, for sisters!!!

Okay, you have three ways to enter:

1. Check out Lindsay’s etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/linsdave 

or

visit her Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dress-Me-Up-custom-onesies-leggings-and-more/292605100792676

and tell me your favorite onesie or shirt.

2. To get a second chance at winning:

Like Lindsay’s facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dress-Me-Up-custom-onesies-leggings-and-more/292605100792676

when she gets to 100 likes she is having a giveaway of her own.

3. For a third chance at winning:

Share this giveaway on your blog, and link back here.

You must leave me a separate comment for each one that you do.  I also need a way to contact you.

Winner will be announced Friday afternoon.

If you would like to place an order with Lindsay, you can do it through etsy,Facebook, or contact her at lindsaydrobbins@gmail.com 

Thanks Lindsay and…

Good Luck to all my awesome readers.

 

And the winner is…. {My Memories software giveaway}

The winner of the random drawing for the FREE software from My Memories is:

Stacy

Stacy said: I stumbled onto your site and this post. I didn't know about digital scrapbooking! I'm intrigued! I really like the "Pink is the New Black" kit. I hope I win, but either way I'm going to get into this!

Stacy I am so excited for you to get started on this wonderful Hobby.  I know that it will change your life.

I will be emailing you with the information that you need in the next few hours.

Thanks to all of you who entered.

Remember if you didn’t win, you can still purchase the software at a discount.  If you use this code:

STMMMS99202

you will get $10 off and then you will receive $10 to spend in the store to buy some new digital supplies. 

That sounds like a smokin deal to me.

Go here to purchase your own software.

www.mymemories.com

Make sure to come back next week, I will be hosting another giveaway.

Valentine Ideas

I know it is Thursday and time for What I have learned, but I am going to postpone it until tomorrow.  I wanted to share what we are making for our Valentines this year.  I wanted to post it in enough time to leave you with some good ideas to get rolling with your own Valentines.

Every year, I make the kids Valentines with a photo card.  It makes it fun and personal.  So let’s start with Jex:

I found the original idea for Jex here on Pinterest.

Here is Jex’s card:

Once we print the photos, I find that it is easy to mat them on mat stacks.

  They work perfect with 4x6 photos and can be bought at Hobby Lobby.

 

I printed this little number out to go on the back.

 

That way the kids can personalize and address each one.

You are welcome to use this little printable as well.

Go here to find it.

As a treat to go with Jex’s Valentine:

A mustache attached to a fun straw, a water bottle, and a drink mix.

We placed them in these fun bags, and then tied them all up and added the Valentine.

Stella’s card:

I came up with this little idea on my own.

To go along with the card:

Hot chocolate and heart marshmallows, all dolled up in a cute polka dot bag.

It was easy to place these inside, and then just staple the card on.

Isaac’s card looks a little something like this:

For his treat, I get to make the class something.  His preschool allows that which is so fun.

So I am using these items to make some really cute mini cupcakes.

I haven’t made them yet, because I want them to be fresh for the big day.

I plan to make cupcakes in mini ice cream cones with a little pink icing on the top.  I hope these will look just like mini ice cream cones, which happen to be one of Isaac’s “favorite” treats.

I plan to place them in these cute boxes and wrap them up in these fun clear bags.  Then attach the Valentine.

…and because I couldn’t leave out the little miss, here is her Valentine:

Well a couple for her…

I couldn’t resist.

Thanks for checking out our Valentines.  I plan to share what Isaac’s treat looks like on the big day.

P.S. don’t forget to check out my giveaway for a great digital scrapbook software from www.mymemories.com.

Or use the special code to buy it at a great deal.  Go Here for more details.

Do you want to digital scrapbook too? {My Memories Software Giveaway}

I have been scrapbooking for 20+years.  I have been digital scrapbooking for 5 years now.  I am so grateful I made the switch.  I know that recording our history with pictures and words is such a worthy cause; plus it is really fun.

I receive questions in my inbox all the time about how I digital scrapbook. I have a Q&A here that answers many of those questions. 

However, I feel bad when I tell people that I use Photoshop to scrapbook.  Learning the ins and outs of PS takes some time.  I know there are many of you out there that feel frustrated or overwhelmed with the idea of attempting Photoshop.  I love Photoshop, but it has not been an easy process to learn it.  It also took time from friends and many tutorials to figure it out.  I have taught many digital scrapbook classes that have left people feeling completely overwhelmed.  My first digital scrapbook page took me 5 hours with Photoshop.

So, when Liz from My Memories contacted me about their digital scrapbook software, I knew I had to give it a try. I wanted to find something that was a little more user friendly for my readers who may be interested in digital scrapbooking.  I must say that this program is very user friendly.  It is the perfect software for someone who wants to start digital scrapbooking, and feels overwhelmed with Photoshop. 

My first scrapbook page with My Memories took 1 hour and I was learning how the program worked at the same time.

The software, not only makes scrapbook pages, but it also makes slideshow videos set to music.  I had a great time making a video of our family for the year 2011.  What a great Valentines gift that makes for grandparents.  I wanted to share the video here, but was having technical difficulties with YouTube this last week. 

www.mymemories.com also offers You Tube videos to help you get started with the whole process. This is an easy way to learn how to use their software.  They also have a Facebook page and a blog with many great tips, challenges and ideas.

I was able to do most of the things that I can do with Photoshop with the My Memories software.  The software was so quick and easy to learn.  Here are a few pages that I made:

When you are finished with your pages, you can create your books right from their site.

They also sell digital scrapbooking kits.  I picked up a few for myself. I can’t help myself when it comes to scrapbook stuff.  For these two pages I used elements from the kit; Life as we know it by Vera Lim. She has some adorable kits.

They also have some free kits to download.

It is also nice because I am able to use scrapbook supplies that I already have right along with their software.

so guess what….

I am giving the My Memories software to one lucky winner.  That is a $40.00 value.

To enter: go to www.mymemories.com and check out their digital scrapbooking supplies.  Leave me a comment telling me your favorite kit name.

Don’t forget to leave me a way to contact you.

Giveaway closes on Friday, February 10th at 12pm. 

Winner will be announced that afternoon.

As an added Bonus,   a special little something for all of my readers, a secret code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value!)

You don’t want to miss out on this deal. 

When purchasing the software, use this special JandA&Co.code:

STMMMS99202

This code will give you $10 off the software and $10 to spend in their store to start your digital supply collection.

A girl can never have to many digital scrapbooking supplies.

Thanks to My Memories for such a great deal and giveaway. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

No lets get creating and recording our memories.

What I have learned Thursday (on Friday)… How to prepare low calories meals.

One thing that I have strived to learn in the last 13 years of marriage is how to prepare healthy meals.

I love a good family meal as much as the next person, but we all know how hard it is to prepare a healthy family meal every night.  Especially when you just want some of that yummy comfort food. 

I believe you can still have comfort food.  I also believe you can make it better for you. I also believe that it can still taste good.

In the last 9 years, I have had 4 babies and nursed all 4 babies until one year of age.  I am not one of those girls who loses a ton of weight while nursing.  I have to work at every pound I take off after each baby.  I am happy to say that I have been able to loose all of my baby weight after each child.(with lots of uphill battles every day) 

Many of you may think that I am just one of those girls that it comes easy to, but I am telling you all of this because I want you to know that I do work at it.  I work at it every day. (Well, not everyday.  Some days I eat like a crazy person and throw it all to the wind.) I do have to keep it in check.  I have to watch what I eat, and exercise everyday. Staying healthy for my family is important to me.

One of the most important things to learn is substitutions.  I have found other things that work just as well in the place of a high calorie or fat ingredients.

This last week, we tried a little take on some Buffalo Chicken Tacos.  I found them here.

This is how I made them just 175 calories.  That means you can eat 2 for just 350 calories. 

They are now my husbands favorite food.

So here is my version.

 What a perfect Super Bowl Sunday recipe that you don’t have to feel bad about.

Lite Buffalo Chicken Tacos

(adapted from here)

(recipe makes 4 tacos)

20-25 pieces of Tyson fully cooked fajita chicken strips

1 t. olive oil

1/8 c. flour

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. Panko crumbs

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/8 C. wing sauce

4 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

(white corn work fine too, they are a few more calories, corn tortillas are so much better for you then flour)

1/3 C. shredded Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese

Topping:

lettuce

1 T. ranch dressing

cilantro

tomatoes

onions

1. Thaw out chicken pieces

2. add olive oil to a pan

3. put flour, cornstarch, panko, cayenne and garlic into a ziplock bag.  add thawed chicken and shake until covered.

4. put each piece of chicken into the pan with the oil and cook until the chicken starts to brown some.

5. spray a skillet with pam, and place tortillas on top.  Sprinkle the 1/3 cup cheese among the 4 tortillas (divided evenly) See how far 1/3 cup of cheese can go? It is important to measure it. 1/3 cup of cheese is only 110 calories so it isn’t much when you divide it by four.

6. when chicken is brown place it in a bowl and cover with 1/8 C. buffalo sauce.

(DO NOT DO THIS IN THE PAN, the heat and the buffalo sauce do not mix well.  TRUST ME!)

7. When covered in the sauce divide chicken evenly over the tortillas until cheese melts.  Take off the skillet.

8. In a separate bowl mix the shredded lettuce with 1 T. ranch. Make sure to measure this also.  Ranch dressing is full of calories.  (You could also substitute for lite and use a little more, but I am ranch snob.  I would rather have less of the real deal.)  By mixing the ranch with the lettuce, you get the whole flavor of the ranch without adding all the calories of pouring some right on your taco.

  Divide the lettuce between the 4 tacos.

9.  Add the rest of the toppings if you desire.  We were out of cilantro and tomatoes the night I made these and took pictures, but it is delicious with them. (It was the end of the month, and I hadn’t gone grocery shopping yet.)

10.  ENJOY!!

Jonathan is begging to have them every night.  I don’t mind because they are so easy, and pretty healthy.  I pair it with an apple or grapes and it makes a nice meal.

Have a great healthy weekend.

I also took a spin on these chicken enchiladas that have been floating all over pinterest.  I made them for just 387 calories for 2.  Stay tuned for that one.