Sleepover with Jackson + a WINNER!

Last weekend, our one-year-old nephew came to spend the night with us! (for the best one-year-old cake-smashing pics, check out my post from his party- he was hilarious!) We had a blast entertaining and being entertained by him. He is just the sweetest little guy!

We played peek-a-boo

We emptied drawers

We read books

We watched the birds

We tried on Uncle Matt's glasses

(only for 1.5 seconds) ;)

We flipped on the bed

He LOVED this! I would say, "1, 2, 3" and Jackson would say, "Dah, Dah" (go)- precious!

We read more books

(that's what happens when your aunt's a teacher)

We felt the rain falling

(one of Jackson's favorite pastimes)

We ate dinner

(Video of Jackson laughing at how Uncle Matt is feeding him)

Then Uncle Matt and Jackson played on the kitchen floor while Aunt Hea made dinner

(This makes me happy)

We took a bath 

(well, Jackson did)

Love a baby hiney ;)

Poor guy got the letter stuck on his back! We might have watched him try to get it off instead of helping... mean Aunt Hea and Uncle Matt

Morning time!

 gah I love that face!

Morning snuggles

We ate breakfast

Loves his Uncle Matt :)

We played on the office chair

(a mini roller coaster, let's be honest)

We made a three-man band

Blogger doesn't seem to want to let me put any videos on here today, so here's the link to the video of this shot.

And then mommy and daddy came back to take their little guy home!

Loves his mama :)

Easiest baby ever. One of the major highlights was when he asked to go to bed:

7:50- 

Jackson: "ahh, ahh"

Me: Are you sleepy bud? Do you want to go to bed?

Jackson: patting his chest (sign language for "please")

Matt and I looked at each other and laughed, took him back to his room, sang songs and laid him down, and he was out before we walked back to our room.

Oh and then he slept til 8:00 the next morning.

Yeah, easiest baby ever. :)

And the winner of the Stella & Dot giveaway is:

Congratulations, TrishCF! You are the WINNER!

Email me your address, and I will ship your new necklace out to you on Monday!

If you could take a minute a help my friend win free Lasik Eye Surgery I would so appreciate it! She needs the most likes on her Facebook comment before Sunday!

And don't forget to tell me if you have an Etsy shop that you'd like to have featured on here! Our first one is set up for the end of this month!

I Need Your HELP!

One of my best friends is in a contest to win FREE Lasik Eye Surgery, and it ends on Mother's Day, May 12th! Can you please take 30 seconds and click "like" on the video her husband made and posted onto Facebook?! All you need to do it go to Dr. Solomon's Facebook page and "like" the comment that I've highlighted below. We're trying to get her to over 200 likes TODAY!

This is the 50 second video that he submitted of their adorable almost-two-year old daughter asking Dr. Solomon to "fix mommy's eyes". But don't forget to go to the actual Facebook page and "like" the original post submitted by Chris Hostetler (see above).

Thanks you guys!!

And don't forget to tell me about your favorite Etsy shops that you'd love to see featured on here with a giveaway!

And the Stella & Dot GIVEAWAY and trunk show ends TONIGHT at 10pm! Don't forget to enter for a chance to win this necklace! 

Etsy Features

I have just begun to scratch the surface of all things Etsy. In my short hunt and few purchases, I've discovered tons of amazing products and some really cool stories behind the people selling those products. And it made me realize, there's a lot of other shops and amazing stories out there that I want to know about!

So starting in June, I'd love to begin featuring one Etsy shop each month that supports a great cause or has unique products that other people need to know about. In each feature post, I'd like to share a little bit about the products, the people/stories behind the products, and offer a giveaway for my super sweet readers so someone can enjoy a new product for FREE! 

So if you have an Etsy shop, or know of one you'd like to see featured on here with a giveaway, email me or leave a comment below.

Can't wait to hear from  you!

And don't forget to enter the Stella & Dot giveaway and check out the online party! Both end FRIDAY!

 

Chocolate-Caramel Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 OREO pie crust

4 oz. PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

4 T caramel ice cream topping (original recipe calls for 2- I like caramel though) :)

1 cup thawed Cool Whip topping

1 pkg (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

1.5 cups cold milk

Directions:

Mix cream cheese and caramel topping in medium bowl until well blended. Gently stir in Cool Whip; spread onto bottom of pie crust. Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk for 2 minutes. Pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

Image from kraftrecipes.com 

(It's looks a little prettier than my sliced piece.) :)

Don't forget to check out the Stella & Dot trunk show and giveaway! Both end this Friday.

stella & dot party and GIVEAWAY!!!

Who doesn't love feeling fancy in some new jewels?! This week, I'm hosting a stella & dot online party here. And not just a party, but a GIVEAWAY too! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is visit the online party, and then leave a comment below telling me what your favorite stella & dot piece is from the party. You can earn an extra entry by finding a new way to follow the blog here (or look in the sidebar) and leaving a separate comment telling me how you followed. (more details and picture of the giveaway item below)

Just to give you a taste of what I'm loving, check out these fun pieces:

How cute are these?!

These statement necklaces are so fun- my sis-in-law gave me one for Christmas and I LOVE it!

Love these cute bengals!

And the best part, stella & dot has a whole line of jewelry and accessories that are under $50! Here are some of my favorite items under $50:

I love love love these! And they go perfectly with...

this pendant

I have these earrings...

...and have my eye on:

this leather bracelet...

which looks super cute with this bracelet

stella & dot even helps out the fashionably challenged (like myself) by showing pictures of bracelets that look good together and by giving a little tutorial about how to layer bracelets

And last but not least, how pretty are these?! (Can you tell what my favorite color is?)

Okay, now for the GIVEAWAY!!!! 

(I love winning things, don't you?!)

I just love the length and look of this necklace. So pretty! So here's how you can win it...

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Visit the Par-tay link and leave a comment below telling me what your favorite item is.

2. If you want to earn an extra entry, find a new way to follow the blog here (or look in the sidebar), and leave a separate comment telling me how you followed (if you follow every possible way, just say so in your second comment!)

Don't forget to leave two separate comments if you want two entries!

The party and giveaway will be open until next Friday the 10th, so shop around and treat yourself to something fun to kick off summer! ...Or let your hubby or parents know what you're loving and see if you get a surprise. ;) ;)

The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 11th.

Winner will be chosen using random.org

Good luck and happy shopping!

**THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED**

Dove Real Beauty Campaign

I love what Dove is doing with their marketing right now. Recently, they created a commercial that encourages women to recognize and appreciate their natural beauty. They hired a forensic artist to draw a handful of women based on their own descriptions of themselves. Then, the artist created a second picture of the women using descriptions given by other people. The reaction of the women when they see the two pictures side-by-side is really pretty powerful. If you have 3 minutes to spare, it will be worth your time.

And in other news....

This Friday, I will be hosting a stella & dot trunk show and GIVEAWAY!!

The link will go live at 8am and will stay open until Friday, May 3rd, so make sure you come by and enter!