Have you ever wanted to make your own candles? I love candles and have wanted to try making my own for sometime now, but didn’t know where to start. When I received an invitation to try Simply Earth’s new DIY Feels Like Home Candle Making kit, which includes everything you need in a handy box, I happily agreed. I can’t wait to share my first DIY candles with you today. They were simple and fun to make.
Recently, I received a copy of the coolest cookbook I’ve seen in a while from Insight Editions. I thought Marvel Spider-Man The Official Cookbook would be a fun addition to our ever growing cookbook collection and I was right. Spider-Man is our friendly neighborhood to cuisine from New York City, The Spider-Verse and beyond!
It’s hard to believe we’re already smack dab in the middle of summer, with some of the hottest days yet to come. If you are dreaming of beach days like I am, I think you are going to love my saver summer beach days giveaway! Read on to learn about Tesalate Sand Free Beach Towel.
Happy July my friends. I’m getting back into the swing of things after a little vacation, and I can’t think of a better way to kick the month off than with a book giveaway! I’m excited to share Your Outdoor Room by Manoj Malde, a beloved BBC TV show and author with you here today.
Summer is in full swing, so I’ve been busy switching out some home decor items to better reflect the season. Think lighter blankets and bedding, decorative pillows and placemats and an often overlooked item, candles! I change out my candles seasonally. If you love floral scented candles, you may want to try these two at your next summer gathering.
Recently I learned about a new to me Essential Oil company that said they made learning and using essential oils easy. Since I’ve wanted to learn more on this topic, I went to the Simply Earth website and was excited to see they offer monthly boxes, free educational resources, affordable prices, and best of all, this is a small business with a big heart, donating thirteen percent of profits to organizations that help end human trafficking. Read on to see all the fab goodies that came in my June EO Recipe Box.
Happy last Friday of May friends! May is one of those months that has thirty one days that pass by in the blink of an eye because of all the end of school year activities. Even though I’m on the other side of the May school day chaos, I remember it well and so many of my friends and readers are still in te thick of it. This giveaway is my way of helping you kick of your summer family movie nights in style.
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| Courtesy: Lionsgate |
A few weeks ago, I got accepted into Storey’s Ambassador program and had the opportunity to make my spring book selections. I chose three titles and today’s post is all about the joy of bird watching from Clare Walker Leslie’s How to Look at a Bird book and because we just enjoyed the unofficial start of summer, I’m sharing Storey’s Splash into Summer Book giveaway!
My Paw Patrol DVD giveaway was such a hit in March, I happily agreed to host today’s giveaway for the cute Paw Patrol spin off Rubble & Crew Construction Crew To The Rescue DVD. There’s even an adorable Box Car craft for you to download instructions and make with your kiddos.
Now that May has arrived, we’ve entered a season of busyness to rival the holidays. There’s a lot of celebratory ground to cover this month, starting with Cinco De Mayo and Mother’s Day, which is the topic of today’s post. Below you’ll find my Mother's Day Gift Guide featuring 4 unique brands sure to please the Moms on your gift list.
Has Earth Day snuck up on you this year too? I feel like I blinked and we were in mid April already! Earth Day is on Saturday April 20th, so I wanted to share more information about the fun and free Earth Day Festival happening at Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee for local readers and a link to help you quickly find a free event near you as well.
The first full week of spring has passed and in some parts of the U.S. gardening is in full swing! Seedlings are ready to be planted, the second wave of flowers and trees are in bloom and I am ready to get started! I know better though, since I live in gardening zone 7b (Nashville, TN. area), which means a few more frigid nights before planting can begin. To help pass the time, I’ve been reading two books on vegetable gardening, which I’ll share with you today along with a giveaway for each.
As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, I wanted to share these four useful travel essentials for women, that are easy to pack and helpful to have on hand whether you are headed out on a road trip to a girls' weekend, or booking a flight to a romantic getaway, or a family fun vacation this spring.
It may surprise some, but I’ve made it to my 50s and never explored wines. Sure, I’ve had the occasional glass of celebratory wine but never cared enough to explore the many nuances that come with being a wine drinker. With several spring celebrations on the horizon, filled with family and friends who adore wine, I felt it was time I started learning about wine as a beginner, especially since I’d been given three bottles of wine to try. If you are a novice wine drinker, or just like learning more about wines, read on.
Happy March friends! Did you know that March 23rd is National Puppy Day? I found this out while I was researching good gift ideas for big pups, because now that my daughter has a fenced-in backyard, she and her boyfriend are planning a big pup sleepover at their house and I get to spend time with them! I couldn’t show up empty-handed, and as luck would have it, I was offered some useful dog supplies I’m excited to share. I even have a fun pup movie giveaway!
We are almost to the end of what is usually a long winter month for me. The weather is a rollercoaster ride here in middle Tennessee, with beautiful spring-like days that have me itching to garden, only to have nights dipping back into the 20s. We have multiple “winters” here in the South, so rather than dwelling on them, I’ve chosen to celebrate Leap Year and share what I’ll be doing with my extra day. I hope my post will help you productively use the extra day.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all who celebrate it! This year, it’s just my husband and I celebrating now that we’re empty nesters. Our youngest daughter moved out just before Thanksgiving. I’m still adjusting to this new normal, which has had some ups and downs. One of the downs is I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut. When I read a friend's blog post this morning with this fun writing prompt, I knew it was just the thing to spark my creativity. I’m joining Mix and Match Mama and her monthly writing prompts where we share little peaks into our lives.
Are you like me anxiously awaiting spring and gardening season? Or perhaps, you love nurturing houseplants, and would like to do a few fun gardening projects before spring arrives? If yes, then keep reading because I’m going to introduce you to a delightful book about both: ¡Verdura!: Living a Garden Life has 30 projects to nurture your passion for plants, both indoors and out. Plus, I’m hosting a giveaway!
Happy Tuesday from snowy middle Tennessee. I know most of our country is experiencing harsh winter weather, so you and your family are probably looking for indoor entertainment options to get you through the winter season. I can’t think of a better movie to have on hand than Trolls Band Together Sing-Along Edition, which is available, today, 1/16/24. Read on to learn more about it and enter my first giveaway of 2024!
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| Courtesy: Universal Home Entertainment |
Hello, and happy 2024! I might be overstating the obvious here, since my last blog post was on December 22,2023, but I have relished having time off to fully enjoy the holidays and my people. I’m coming back to work today feeling rested and ready to take on this new year full of possibilities. Before I dive into this year, I thought it’d be fun to take a look at my top ten blog posts of 2023 and share what’s in store for 2024.
I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas had a wonderful holiday. I sure did. As we inch closer to the year's end, our thoughts usually turn to end-of-year reflections. Did we achieve the goals we made in 2023? Did we fulfill any dreams? I can happily say yes, but for some who find themselves dreaming of Nicholas Cage's character in Dream Scenario, happy is not the term they would use!
Are you planning to go to the movies over the holidays? There are lots of great choices available, and I’d like to add another one to your list. The Iron Claw starring Zac Efron. I recently received the DVD for your consideration DVD and my husband and I watched it last night and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to share my no-spoiler review today.
Tomorrow marks the first official day of winter, which for most gardeners, or those aspiring to be, is the perfect time to be warm and cozy inside, while dreaming of what we want to do outside once the weather is warm again. I can think of no better book for garden dreaming and planning than The Garden Journal, a beautiful five-year record-keeping tool by Linda Vater. As a special thanks to my readers, I’m hosting a giveaway for a hardbound copy of this book.
Recently, A24 Films was kind enough to send me several screeners including Priscilla, which I immediately watched since I hadn’t been able to attend the in-person screening. Today, I wanted to share my thoughts and hopefully a spoiler-free review of the highly anticipated film Priscilla, which is now available to stream.
| Courtesy: A24 Films |
Are you hosting a holiday event soon? I’m hosting on two occasions between now and the new year, so stocking up on dinnerware now for holiday entertaining makes sense to take advantage of current sales and ensure there is plenty of dinnerware on hand. I recently found a beautiful blue porcelain, dinnerware set from over&back that I'm excited to share with you today.
What do you think of when you hear the name Ferrari? For most of us, the answer is beautiful red fast race cars. And you’ll see plenty of these beauties in Micheal Mann’s Ferrari, coming to theaters on Christmas Day. I received a press screener from Neon, and let me just say you may want to add this going to see this film to your holiday plans.
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| Courtesy: Neon |
It's the holiday season and I'm thrilled to be partnering with The Review Wire to make someone's December one to remember by helping sleigh those holiday bills! With everything costing more than in previous years, it can be hard not to get stressed, so we thought a Happy Holidays giveaway for two hundred and fifty dollars would help make spirits bright.
My Dad was a huge fan of Rocky films, so of course, I’ve seen key scenes from several of the films in the Rocky film franchise, which launched in 1976 with the film Rocky and concluded with Rocky Balboa in 2006, or so we thought. Rocky made a comeback in 2015 in Creed in which Rocky trains Adonis Creed and the beginning of the Creed films got their start. As was the case with Rocky films, I’d only watched a few key scenes from Creed films because my husband is a fan.
Creed III: A look into Adonis Creed’s Past and a battle he must Win:
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Courtesy: Amazon MGM Studios |
Happy December and happy Friday friends! If you’ve been on my blog before, you know how much I love Friday giveaways. This giveaway comes at a perfect time with kids going on holiday break from school soon, so parents looking for entertainment options, this one's for you!
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| Courtesy: Shout!Media |
With award season right around the corner, my invitations to press screeners are picking up, which is an exciting time. I love sharing insights into upcoming films and today’s post features The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I got to see on Tuesday evening. It's in theaters this Friday, November 17, 2023 for your viewing. Here are my thoughts and an official trailer.
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| Courtesy: Lionsgate |
In an effort to not rush headlong into everything Christmas, I waited until I knew most people had started holiday shopping, or at the very least, asking for their loved ones' gift lists. This year has found me enjoying offline hobbies and events, which led me to compile 10 no tech holiday gift ideas sure to please most adults on your list. This is a switch from my previous holiday gift idea lists because I’m not covering kids' gifts. As an almost empty nester, it’s going to be a few years before I need to shop for little ones again.
Earlier this week, my husband and I had the privilege of attending an IMAX press screening of The Marvels, along with other accredited film critics who, like me, are members of the Music City Film Critics Association. I say this because there is something special about watching a film with others in the audience. It’s fun to be with peers and their plus ones and enjoy this time together. Together is one of the key components of The Marvels, and I can’t wait to share my no-spoiler (hopefully!) thoughts with you.
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| Courtesy: Marvels Studio |
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