DaVinci Beads

Have you seen or heard about this wonderful (and I do mean wonderful) jewelry option?  When I was first approached by Coppin's Hallmark Gifts & Collectibles about DaVinci Beads, I really didn't know much about them.  There was a great FAQ section at Coppin's that answered  so many questions that although they were "new" to me at the time, they will definitely be part of this household's jewelry options.

When I first saw the website for Da Vinci Beads on Coppin's Hallmark, I was a little overwhelmed - there are quite a few "options" at VERY reasonable prices.

At first I thought this would make a great Mother's Day Gift.  But when my daughter kind of "took over" my selections and then obsconded with my bracelet almost as soon as it arrived, I realized that it would be great for girls/women of any age. 

You could give one to your daughter when she starts High School - you KNOW that is a very important step for girls - and add to it as she travels through the years.  One for her birthday, her sports, her activities and then graduation!  She can add or subtract beads as it fits her mood - its so easy to change these beads around I know you could have a different bracelet every day without spending a fortune.

The pictures do not do this bracelet justice.  The beads are really very pretty and detailed, even the clasp on the bracelet itself is pretty unique.  I will be looking to add more beads to Jenn's bracelet since she has been wearing it non-stop since we got it - just getting pictures was difficult (guess she was afraid I would decide to keep it).




Our beads looked like these from the website - told you they were hard to show the details in the pictures

We are looking at even more beads to add to Jenn's bracelet and I'm thinking I want one for me too!  And then there is "pre-Christmas" shopping for my niece. 

If you would like to have your own bracelet with 3 beads (to start) enter my easy giveaway via the Rafflecopter below. 


If you don't want to wait - you could buy it at CoppinsGifts.com they are having a great promotion that you might want to check out as well.

Leaving Footprints on your Heart!

Gustafer Yellowgold's Year in the Day

 

I have to say that this is the cutest CD/DVD that I have EVER had the privilege of  listening to/ viewing.  I really wish this was available when my kids were little - instead we grew up with the purple dinosaur (shhhh I can STILL hear THAT song).  It is my opinion that Morgan Taylor, cartoonist/songwriter/performer, is a genius!

If you have kids or grand-kids this is one of the best things you can get for them.  I have never been one to say "park" your kids in front of the TV but this DVD was just so cute!  It was actually soothing.  I can just envision kids dancing/swaying/singing along.  How many kids DVDs can you say that about?

On the DVD not only do you get to watch the hand drawn cartoons perform relating to each song that revolve around Earth's "holidays" like Groundhog Day, called A Shadow, Halloween, that was called Werewolves Rock, or Fat Tuesday/Pancake Day (one of my favorites) called Pancake Smackdown, but you also get to look into the how and why it was created and some guitar lessons! Told you this was a really well rounded set.

 This really is a great set to introduce your child to "real" music.  It features top-tier guest musicians such as John Munson (Semisonic and late ‘80s cult favorite Trip Shakespeare,) Robert DiPietro (Norah Jones) and Robert Jost (Bjork, SNL, Sesame Street).
It is the first Gustafer Yellowgold  package to feature a focused theme throughout, with eleven thought provoking, melodic, soft-rock music videos ranging from sublime alt-pop to gentle acoustics so your child can learn different forms of music at an early age (suggested to start at age 4) that can continue on for many years after.

I even listened to the CD in my car - yes it made for a much more soothing ride to work (or home) when things were rather difficult on my home front.  I know if you were to get this set you could actually listen to it as often as your child wanted - no matter how many times they wanted.  It is a very kid and adult friendly combination.

And I'm not the only one that liked this set, there were some really "important people" who reviewed this set and left comments like these to show its wide spread appeal:

“…the most infectious original songs.  It’s like tapping into some pleasure center in the brain – both adult and kid...absurdly appealing – Grade A”
- Entertainment Weekly

“The show is a cross between ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Dr. Seuss.”
 - The New York Times

Would you like to win a copy of Gustafer Yellowgold's Year in the Day?  One lucky reader will have that opportunity using the popular Rafflecopter below.

Homemade Dog Food

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of homemadedogfood.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I don't know about you, but every time I heard about a recall of pet food I thought there had to be a better way.  I mean our pets are our babies - our fur babies, but babies none the less, no matter how old they are.  We need to do what is best for them don't we?

Feeding our babies healthy food is something that should be at the top of our list and I have found a great place where you can learn how to make your own Homemade dog food.  No more cans for our babies!  No more fillers or sub-par ingredients, no more worries about what they are eating.  But I think the best is that your dog will just love it and it will lead to an even stronger bond between you and your fur baby.

Because there aren't a lot of ingredients - you can be sure that they are the best, and other than the vitamins and enzymes you can pick up everything you need at your local grocery store.  No special trips to obscure stores - I mean they are a part of our family so we should be able to get their food at the same place we get ours.

If you want to feel better about what you feed your D-O-G (I know they think they are people), if you want peace of mind and no more worry over the latest recall, You really need to check out the wonderful website, HomemadeDogFood.com where you can get this really Easy cooked dog food recipe.

The Avengers

Have you seen the newest BLOCKBUSTER?

Marvel's The Avengers is on track to be the biggest, most watched movie since Harry Potter!  I believe I heard this morning that they expect it to have brought in at least $1 Billion by the end of the month.  Yes that was BILLION with a "B".

My daughter and AJ (I'm not sure what to call him at the moment - boyfriend, friend, "son2") along with a few of their friends went to see The Avengers last night.  To make sure everyone could get there - they went to the 9 o'clock showing.  Every one of them thought it was a fantastic show. 

Now I don't usually go to the movies, especially when something is just released (ok so I'm cheap and hate the thought of paying over $12 for a ticket) but Jenn told me that I absolutely MUST see this movie.  When I asked "Before it comes out on DVD or on Cable?"  She was very sure that it would be worth the high ticket prices (hey she might even go with me)   AJ thought it was kind of funny but thought it was pretty good. 

So what have you heard?  Are you going to see it soon?  Are you going to be part of that $1Billion with a B before the end of the month?

Giveaways Galore!

While I am getting back up to speed, I have some reviews and review/giveaways coming up, I wanted to pass on some of the giveaway links that have been appearing in my inbox.  You can never be entered into too many giveaways right?

I just love when you get those "surprises" in your inbox!  And then when those surprises lead to an awesome score ............. Fabulous. 

From
simply sensational giveaway 25-prizes at sisters saving cents

$250 Sephora Gift Card from SweepTight 

Upscale Treasures has Extreme Cash

 Summer Amazon Blow Out at BBProductReviews

KitchenAid Mixer at My SoCal Life

Sony Blu-ray Player at Shibley Smiles

Kate Spade Bag at Still Blonde after all these years!

Makobi Scribe's Mega Mother's Day Giveaway with 175 bloggers!

Make sure you check out these giveaways but also the blogs as well.  They are all pretty interesting (at least I think they are) and some have multiple giveaways going on.  Some of the other giveaways they have are ending soon, others give you a week or so.  I know I want to find a way to enter these too.

Hey if you enter one of these (please let them know I sent you) and win ... come on back and let me know - really really make me smile then.

Happy May Day

Can you believe it is May 1st already?  I know I can't.  I cant believe we have had 4 months pass by already!  So far 2012 hasnt been the best of years for me but I am determined to make it a great year - if nothing else Jenn graduates from the Community College this month and enters Rutgers University as a Junior in September.

And because Ive been so "hit or miss" these past few months - I have some great product reviews and giveaways just for you.  I'm also planning (already) something special for you when I hit that very special follower number of 1,000!  I know we can get there - hopefully sooner rather than later.