It’s hard to believe we’ve reached mid-August already! Kids are back in school here, and our county fair is over and the state fair has begun. While events might be leaning towards fall, I’m staying in summer mode as long as I can, which means another Friday Giveaway! This time I’m giving away three copies of Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest 30th Anniversary Blu-ray™ + DVD combo pack! Read on to learn how you can win and be sure to check out all my current summer giveaways here. 

Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest 30th Anniversary Blu-ray™ + DVD Giveaway!

Hello and happy Friday! Is it just me, or has this week been exceeding long? I have been doing some decluttering, so that might be the root cause of my feeling this week was never going to end. Thankfully, we all made it to Friday and I'm excited to share this month's Friday Five! 

Friday Five!

 I’ve always been a fan of low –tech, or no-tech activities for myself and my family. Card games, board games and jigsaw puzzles are played with often here over high-tech activities. Don’t get me wrong, we all love our devices and our gaming systems, but we all strike a healthy balance. I started doing jigsaw puzzles again during the pandemic and found it to be such a fun, rewarding, no-tech hobby, I started an Instagram account to share them. If you love jigsaw puzzles too, you are going to love this giveaway an e-gift card to Buffalo Games and Puzzles. 

Buffalo Games & Jigsaw Puzzles are no-tech Fun!

Happy Friday! I hope you've been enjoying all the cool giveaways I've shared over the summer, and the summer of giving isn't done. I've teamed up with my favorite group of bloggers to bring you a cool back to school giveaway hop! There are so many fun and cool prizes to win. Starting here, on my blog. I'm giving away a Blu-Ray + DVD copy of Dream Builders. A perfect after school or family movie night prize.

Back To School Giveaway Hop!

Hello August! We are officially in the dog days of summer and Leo (the lion) season, so let's kick off the month with a roaring good giveaway. See what I did there? I'm happy to team up with the Review Wire Media team to bring you a giveaway that's sure to help you stop feeling the squeeze at the gas pump and grocery store. Read on to learn how to enter our Roaring August Walmart Gas & Grocery $200 Gift Card Giveaway. 

Walmart  $200 E- Gift Card Giveaway!

I know some people that find products and brands they love and they become loyal, repeat buyers. There are a few products and brands that have my completely loyalty, but that leaves lots of room for me to try new products, which I love to do! Especially, new beauty and wellness products.  Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying out new to me products and today I’d like to share eight new summer products to try with you. 

New Summer Products! 

The dog days of summer are upon us and there is no denying that it has been a crazy hot summer! The south is so hot and humid right now, there isn’t a lot of relief from it, which means I can and will break out in a sweat doing anything outside and hey, since we’re buddies, I can break a good sweat inside cleaning as well some days. The one thing that’s a constant in this weather (besides sweat) is sunscreen, which after multiple days of application, clog my pores and give my skin an overall dullness. Read on to learn about a line of bath and body products to help clear up summer breakouts and more. 

Bath and Body Products you need this Summer!

You know those long summer days spent out on the water with friends and family that are so good you don’t want them to end? By the time you get back to your accommodations for the evening, all you have the energy to do is take a shower and lounge? Yeah- you know those kind of idyllic summer days! Well, I’ve got the perfect summer robe for those kinds of days. It’s a perfectly soft and delightfully functional robe for California Cowboy Apparel that I think you’re going to love as much as I do. 

The Best Summer Robe:

 I receive a lot of emails on any given day asking me if I’d like to review books that cover a wide array of genres, and usually, I can tell from the email copy if I’m interested. If you've been around my blog for a while, you know I love gardening and flowers and books- most especially, books about gardening and flowers! so of course I happily agreed to review and host a giveaway for a Garden for Grace, which is simply one of the sweetest books I’ve read in a long time.

A Garden for Grace Book Review and Giveaway:

My husband and I were recently invited to a unique, in-person screening of the latest Marvels Studio film: Thor Love and Thunder, and I will say right from scene one, we were entertained! I’d love to share some of my thoughts (no spoilers), before it opens in theaters tomorrow July 8, 2022.  

Thor Love and Thunder!

Things are heating up now that July is here my friends! My family and I are gearing up for a fun Independence Day weekend, so before I sign off for a little celebrating, I had to share this hot July giveaway. I've teamed up with the awesome Review Wire Media Team again to bring you a $200 DoorDash gift card giveaway! Just think of all the lunch and dinners you won't have to cook with that!  

$200 DoorDash Gift Card Giveaway:

Courtesy: Review Wire Media

Summer is officially here and you may be looking for a low/no-tech activity for you or your kids. Why not try your hand at sewing? I learned the basics of sewing during a semester in Home Economics and from my Mom, but I am by no means a seamstress. I happily said yes when I was asked if I’d like to review The Ultimate Illustrated Guide to Sewing Clothes by Joi Mahon because I'd like to learn to sew.

As a blogger and digital content creator, I have the opportunity to try lots of new products that might not normally show up on my shopping radar. June has been bountiful in this department, so I thought it would be fun to start a new (to me) blog series Friday Five! Each month I’ll share five new products I think would be helpful to you as well. This month’s Friday Five is fun foods for summer. I hope you enjoy this new series and these product recommendations. 

 Even though it's officially Spring for a couple more weeks, it sure feels like Summer here in the Nashville, TN. area, so I'm keeping the summer good vibes going with another giveaway this week as part of the Review Wire Media team. Let's talk brows and skincare friends. I'm always open to trying new beauty and skincare products and sharing them with you and I think you are going to like what you see from Joy Beauty. Read on to see how to have brows that wow the Joy Beauty Brow and serum Duo. There will be two winners on this one! 

Recently, I started using coconut oil as part of my hand and nail care routine after receiving a big container of it from Viva Naturals, along with their MCT oil, which I wrote about here. I’ve used coconut oil in the kitchen for years, but for some reason, I hadn’t ventured into adding it to my self-care routine, but after seeing and feeling the moisturizing results of just a bit of this delightfully scented coconut oil on my hands and cuticles, I wanted to find more uses. Today, I’m sharing four ways to use coconut oil in your self-care routine, so you can enjoy a little TLC at home as well. 

Add Coconut Oil to your Self-Care Routine:

Do you or a loved one suffer from back pain and sore and stiff muscles? If yes, then you’ve got to try one of my families favorite pain relievers, Salonpas. I’m teaming up with them again today to help celebrate freedom from pain by sharing their freebie, a coupon code, and a giveaway to try their whole line of products! Read on to learn more.

With another birthday nearing, I decided it was time to make my health and wellness a priority by moving more, improving my sleep, and like many of you have discussed on social media, I need to reverse some of the pandemic weight gain so that I can fully enjoy summer. I read an article about taking a look at what you do from the very moment you wake up and see if you can make positive changes. For me that meant overhauling my morning coffee, so when Viva Naturals offered to send me their MCT Oil for review, I took it as a sign to give coffee with organic MCT oil a try. 

MCT Oil in Coffee:

Now that warmer days are here, my family and I love spending time outside in the evenings. I love that our home has two outdoor spaces to sit, relax and enjoy the view- a front porch and a back patio, both of which have things in common. Pretty nature views, ample seating, and flowers! I just love the look of a pretty container full of blooming flowers, so when I had the opportunity to review Nature Hills Instant Wall Planter, I said yes. Read on to discover this charming wall planter idea for porch or patio.

Charming Wall Planter!

For all who celebrated Easter,  I hope you had a wonderful day. Easter to me, is the beginning of the spring get together season. From Easter dinner, to simple family movie and game nights to pot-luck family style dinners, this is the season to welcome all to our home. 

One way I love to welcome my family and friends here in any season, but especially now, is with the delightful aroma of fresh baked bread, but with warmer weather calling me outdoors, I can’t always find the time to make our family favorite, sourdough bread from scratch. Thankfully, I’ve found the perfect Sourdough Bread Delivery Subscription box for Mother's Day and beyond.

Sourdough Bread!

Yesterday was National Gardening Day, so I couldn’t miss that wonderful opportunity to share another wonderful gardening book review and giveaway with you today. You know I love growing flowers and herbs, but for the last few years, I’ve been wanting to grow more edibles and have Googled How to grow ornamental and edible plants together many times over the last year or so, so imagine my delight when I received the opportunity to review garden designer Linda Vater’s newest book that teaches us how to pull this gardening style off. Read on to learn more about the book and enter the giveaway.

Grow ornamental and edible plants together

I like having snack options on hand for each member of my family, which has to include single serve, grab- and- go options. More often than not, these snacks have to fulfill more than one craving as well. For instance, I keep beef jerky on hand for my husband who loves a salty/chewy treat, while my daughters and I prefer sweet and salty snacks. Are you a fan of yummy sweet and salty snacks as well? I’ve got two you’ll want to try then!

Sweet and Salty Snacks

Happy Friday and happy Spring friends! Are you excited to welcome in the season of growth, hope and renewal? I always look forward to spring and have been dreaming of all the flowers and herbs I’d plant this year, but at the end of the growing season last year, I knew I needed to find a better and easier way to keep the weeds from taking over and turning my gardening time into such a chore. Like a beacon of hope, I received a book called The Regenerative Garden, which has 80 DIY permaculture projects for the home garden and the biggie for me is a way to reduce weeding! Read on to learn more and to enter the giveaway to win a copy of the book!

Home Garden Help!

Last month I had the opportunity to try and new to me soup company and I’m still eating and loving their soups.  I've been raving about them on my socials, so naturally, I wanted to share this amazing soup with you here on the blog. I know there are lots of busy Moms here with younger kids and tight schedules, who more often than not, eat a quick bite here and there. Today, I’d like to offer you a way to upgrade your at home lunch with a healthy, heat and eat bagged soup. It is a game changer!

Lunch is Served!

Happy Friday friends! I’m so excited that spring will officially arrive in just 23 days! To help me get through the cold, dreary days of February, I’ve started a few cleaning projects early this year. One chore that we may often overlook in the cold months are our ceiling fans. I clean mine every season and it is a time consuming, messy task, so I was intrigued when I got an email asking if I’d like to try a new ceiling fan cleaning tool that stops the mess. Read on to learn all about the Blade Butler and enter to win one!

Time To Start Spring Cleaning!

With Valentine’s Day arriving on Monday this year, I know a lot of married couples are celebrating this weekend, instead of trying to juggle a weekday date night. In fact, my husband and I just had a great day date and plan to have a simple evening at home of Monday. To some this may sound boring- but trust me, if done correctly, you can still find ways to add romance and a little spark to these at home celebrations. If you need a refresh on the art of flirting like you did when you were dating your spouse, this book is for you. Read on to learn about The Flirtation Experiment and how to win a copy.

Spark up your Marriage!

Happy first Friday of February friends! I’ve had a very productive week, which means most days I was eating lunch on the fly and grazing my way through the afternoon until I’d cook and eat a proper dinner. Do you know those kinds of busy days where you eat a hand full of almonds here, and an apple there? I decided today I was going to treat myself to a proper lunch, so I used the leftovers from last night and made a Roasted Red Pepper BLT Wraps for a quick lunch. It was so, so good! I want to share this simple lunch idea with you and give you a chance to win some wraps too.

Quick Lunch Wrap:

We’ve finally made it to the end of January, and we can officially start the countdown to spring! With only 48 days of winter left, it’s time for us to start planning our gardens, which is one of my favorite winter activities. If you’ve read my blog or social media posts, you know I love flowers. I’m a cottage garden girl all the way! I lost a few plants last year including one of my oldest Peonies to some sort of infestation, so this book Attracting Beneficial Bugs to your Garden has come at a perfect time for me. I’ve been studying it on chilly winter nights and taking notes during my lunch breaks to better prepare myself for the gardening year ahead. Read on to learn more about gardening bugs (the good and the bad) and enter to win our first giveaway of the year!

Spring Is Coming!

My love of handbags started when I was in elementary school. One of my teachers carried this amazingly colorful patchwork Hobo handbag and I couldn’t keep my eyes off it! It hung on the back of her desk chair, and I wanted so badly to ask her about it, or better yet, own it. I asked for the same style of handbag for Christmas, but alas, I didn’t get it, because what third grader carries a handbag? My love of handbags has never wavered, so I was delighted to discover a new line of handbags to love in the new year.

New Year, New Handbags!

Since I work at home, most of my lunches are eaten solo and mainly consist of either leftovers, or something quick and simple like yogurt and granola and a piece of fruit. However, yesterday my daughter and I decided to treat ourselves to a hearty lunch by making sourdough bacon pepper jack and cheddar cheese panini’s served with a warm bowl of tomato soup and I must say, the food and her company were a delightful change of pace! Another great thing about this lunch? We had tasty sourdough bread from the freezer to table in under 30 minutes.

Work at home Lunch Date:

Hello and happy new year! I’m coming back from a fantastic holiday break feeling refreshed, renewed, and optimistic for this new year and all the good things it will bring. As work at home Mom who creates content for a living, it can be a challenge to find an actual pause in writing when the next holiday, event, or celebration is always right around the corner. It was the middle of December, and I was already fielding emails for Valentine’s Day. That’s when I decided I simply must allow myself to take time off. I figured out how to practice self-care in just 15 minutes a day and it did wonders for me, and I think it will help you too.

Give yourself 15 Minutes a day!

As a busy work at home Mom, I love products that help keep me organized and make my life easier at home  and on the go. Somedays, my office is at a local event or venue where I need easy access to my phone, wallet, tablet, or laptop. I don’t want to arrive with a huge bag, so having streamlined products is ideal. Recently, I was asked if I’d like to work with Ekster again for the holidays and I happily said yes. I love being able to continue a working relationship with brands I’ve worked with in the past and truly like their products. Today, I’m sharing two clever gift ideas for busy Moms I think you will really like.

Clever Gifts!

My husband and I have bought our fair share of toys over the years, and most of them are girl themed since we have two daughters, with the exception of the toys we get for our extended family which is full of boys. Recently, I was asked if I’d like to review a trio of NSI toys and I happily agreed. While these  toys aren’t gender specific, I do get a boy vibe from them. No matter who you’re shopping for though, I think these three hands on toys can provide fun indoor and outdoor play.

Hands on Fun!

Did you ever watch the Jetson’s cartoon and wish you had a smart home like theirs, or at the very least your own Rosey the robot to help you clean up life’s little messes? I sure did! Don’t get me wrong, I actually like some chores, but vacuuming everyday isn’t one of them. This year, I’m putting a smart robot vacuum on my gift list. I think it’s a perfect gift idea to help keep our homes neat and tidy now and in the future. I do hope to see one under our tree! Read on to learn about two new Neato Robotics vacuums.

Perfect Gift Idea for Neat and Tidy Homes:

 Happy Monday! Are you in the holiday mood yet? With only 19 sleeps left, we are in full holiday mode over here! I couldn't think of a better way to spread holiday cheer than to team up with the Pay it Forward bloggers and share a fun and useful giveaway. Welcome to the  Warm Winter Wishes Lugz Hoodie Giveaway!

Warm Winter Wishes!

If you’ve followed my blog or socials for the last couple of years, you’ll recognize the NewAir name because I’ve reviewed several of their products. From a portable heater that’s perfect for taking the chill out of a guest room, a space saving wine fridge, to their popular counter top clear ice maker, I’ve had a wonderful experience with this brand. I was delighted recently when I was asked to become an NewAir Ambassador and help them celebrate their 20^th anniversary by reviewing the NewAir Anniversary Series limited edition 100 Can beverage Fridge which helps chill drinks easily.

Meet the newest NewAir Fridge!

The last week of November flew by me in a blur and now I’m welcoming in December with my last official holiday gift ideas list. I had a couple of other gift list ideas I had planned to share, but sadly, packages didn’t arrive in time. Today’s Gift Ideas for gardening Enthusiasts is a favorite of mine. If you’ve read my blog, or followed me on social media, you know I adore flowers, herbs, and nature, so I’ve tried to cover a wide range of gift ideas.

Gift Ideas for Gardening Enthusiasts! 

My local radio station has switched over to Christmas music, I’ve made my annual homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies will go in the oven soon and I’m waiting for my daughters to get home, which means we are almost ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and all this wonderful holiday represents. It also means its time to start shopping for the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals and sales we can find on gifts! That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to a new, easy to use savings app- Simply Codes. They really do make saving simply delightful, and they are hosting a $50 Sephora gift card giveaway!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Friday friends! We are slowly inching closer to the most wonderful time of the year! Today I'm sharing a list that was fun and easy to put together since I’m a mom of two daughters that are 22 and 18. By this point, I’m basically a professional daughter gift shopper!  I thought it would  helpful to share some of gift ideas for moms and daughters that have been a hit in the past or are on gift lists this year.

Gifts For Moms and Daughters!

With Thanksgiving drawing near, I thought it would be a perfect time to start sharing some of my favorite gift ideas. I’m starting off with some fun non-tech gift ideas and will be sharing a few more gift lists throughout the weeks to help you get ready for Black Friday shopping and beyond. Read on for some fun gift ideas in the Books and Non-Tech Games for Kids category.

Gift Ideas for Kids!

 After the heat of summer, the cooler fall weather calls me back outside to enjoy daily activities like long walks, hikes, and more strenuous gardening projects.  All of this is good for my mind, soul, and body, but sometimes I overdo it and experience muscle pain the next day.  I was delighted to receive an invitation to try and review the newest TENS Massager and share it with you here.  Since my husband has an older model and used it with great success for back pain, I figured this new model TENS would be a welcome addition to our pain relief arsenal and help reduce my muscle pain after exercising.

Pain Relief in Sight!

Happy November friends! Much like the elves in Santa’s workshop, I’ve been a busy elf and I’ve got lots of goodies in store for you this holiday season. Let’s kick things off with a great giveaway. Today, I’m sharing some classified secrets from the North Pole, straight from Elmer Elffenstock's mouth! His un-authorized accounting of the days leading up to Christmas reveals some top-secret stuff. Read on to learn them and enter the giveaway too.

Classified Secrets Ahead!

My daughter has suffered from cluster headaches and the occasional migraine for years. It’s hard to watch someone you love suffer knowing there wasn’t many non-pharmaceutical relief options available. My daughter had done some research on green light therapy and put green LED’s in her room which offered some help. I was delighted to be asked to review the new Allay Lamp recently. If you or someone you love suffers from headaches or migraines, read on about the use of green light and the company making this innovative lamp.

Green Light Help!

Happy October my friends! Are you ready for all the seasonal goodness that Autumn brings? I sure am. One of my favorite things to do when the seasons change is switching out my dishes and glassware along with my home decor  I love using fun seasonal coffee mugs, festive dinner and serving plates and of course my glassware gets an update too. I was delighted when I was asked if I’d like to learn more about Neutrall, a woman led, Austin TX. Based company making cute and eco-friendly glassware you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them.

Cute and Eco-Friendly glassware: 

Happy Fall my friends! I simply adore this season for so many reasons. The crisp mornings, being able to turn off the AC and open up all the windows in my home to welcome in all that fresh air goodness, settling into a more home-centric routine, and of course- baking! I’ve already started my baking season off on the right foot by baking up a batch of tasty cast iron skillet butter-topped drop biscuits and I wanted to share the recipe with you. These were some of the easiest biscuits I’ve ever made.

Biscuit Goodness: