Labor Day movie pick: Life of Crime with Jennifer Aniston

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, August 29, 2014

It's the last Friday in August and Labor day weekend is on every body's mind, so let's kick off the long weekend with a giveaway! My thanks to Partnershub for  making this giveaway possible. As a host blogger, I receive no compensation or product for sharing this giveaway, just a bunch of happiness.

I have long been a fan of Jennifer Aniston. She won me over as Rachel on Friends and I even contemplated that famous haircut for a summer. Fast forward 20 years and Jennifer Aniston is still one of my favorite leading ladies and I find myself really liking her haircut again.

Opening in theaters today is Jennifer's newest movie: Life of Crime. After you read all about the movie, go to the bottom of this post to enter to win a $15 Fandango gift card.

About Life of Crime:

"When a pair of low-level criminals kidnap the wife of a corrupt real-estate developer, they get both more and less than they bargained for in Life of Crime, a dark caper comedy based on legendary author Elmore Leonard’s novel The Switch. Starring Jennifer Aniston, John Hawkes, Yasmin bey, Mark Boone Junior, Isla Fisher, Will Forte and Tim Robbins, Life of Crime is packed with the outrageously eccentric characters, black comedy and unexpected twists that earned Leonard a reputation as one of America’s sharpest and funniest crime writers.
Mickey Dawson (Jennifer Aniston), the wife of crooked real-estate developer Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins), is kidnapped by two common criminals (Yasmin bey and Jon Hawkes), who intend to hold her for a $1 million ransom and extort her husband with inside information about his illegal business dealings. But Frank, who is holed up in the Bahamas with his mistress, decides he’d rather not get his wife back, setting off a sequence of double-crosses and plot twists that could only come from the mind of master storyteller Elmore Leonard."

I know Jennifer will sparkle in this dark comedy and I hope I can squeeze in a trip to the theater to see it. 

Now for some giveaway fun!

  Watch the action packed new trailer for Life Of Crime and then share your favorite part for a contest entry on the Rafflecopter form below!



Terms:

 Entering is easy with the Rafflecopter form below.  No purchase necessary to enter. Open to U.S. Residents 18+.  My WAHM Plan is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Giveaway not associated with Facebook. Each household is only eligible to win $15 Fandango Gift Card via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Full terms and conditions listed on Rafflecopter form.

 Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Easy DIY Flea Deterrent

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Somehow our home and pets managed to get fleas this summer.  We are unsure where the original fleas came from because we have had indoor cats in our family for close to a decade and never had a flea problem. Regardless of how we got them, I had to make them go!  I started researching safe methods of killing fleas without harming cats, family and belongings. 

I read several stories of success using plain table salt.  The instructions sounded simple enough: Cover your carpet with table salt and leave it on for three days. The fleas eat the salt, which so severely dehydrates them that they die. You leave the salt on the floor for three days, then wait 24 hours and do the whole process again and supposedly, within two weeks’ time, your home is flea free. 


Our Princess Cat Dottie
Dottie

I liberally doused our carpeted rooms with salt, assuring my curious cats that this was for the greater good.  They were dubious at best.  

Six or seven hours into day one of Salt O’ the carpet and my oldest Cat Dottie, took to higher ground, refusing to walk on any salted/carpeted area. She would run at break neck speed from point A to point B and stayed on hardwood -tiled surfaces when at all possible. I felt so bad for her. 

My husband and kids didn’t care for the crunchy feel of salt between their toes either, so by day two, I vacuumed up the salt. We did see a small difference in the fleas, so I knew I’d have to come up with a better solution. That’s when I decided to combine the Carpet fresh product my cats and family don’t mind with salt to see how it worked.


DIY flea deterrent #salt #carpetfresh


This is a super simple DIY project.

  • Use at least 1/3 box of Carpet Fresh Pet Fresh to make room for salt.
  • Add regular table salt to fill the box of Carpet Fresh. I used a small kitchen funnel aligned to the holes on the top of Carpet Fresh box.
Add salt to carpet fresh #DIY flea deterrent


  • Shake well to mix ingredients.
  • Sprinkle the mix liberally on carpet and let sit for as long as you can. I aim for at least 30 minutes.
Shake on liberal amount of #DIY flea deterrent


  • Then vacuum up.


Vacuuming daily, or at least every other day is a major key to breaking the fleas’ life cycle, as is the salt. We are using this method in conjunction with Flea medicine recommended by our Vet to combat these little biters. The Vet warned us that this could be an ongoing battle all summer. But at least we aren’t getting bit and our cats seem to be doing better. 


Our little kitty Fiona
Fiona


Now if I could just get them not to be afraid of the vacuum!

Please share in comments: Has your cat or dog ever had fleas? What did you do to get rid of them?

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My Messy Patio Table Was No Match for Viva Vantage Paper Towels #VivaTowels #sponsored

in , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, August 22, 2014

Many thanks to Viva Vantage and Walmart for sponsoring today’s story and helping me clean up my messes!

My family and I love spending time out on our back deck. It’s so relaxing to sit back and enjoy nature at its unspoiled finest. It’s why we moved out to the country. One of the draw backs of country living is dirt. Lots of dirt and “gifts” show up on our deck from our cat, the birds we feed, a raccoon that makes a routine visit, even an opossum, who  has an affinity for the grease can on my husband’s grill. 


Somehow, a big portion of this dirt winds up on my patio table. It’s gross, folks! Yes, that is birdie poop and cat hair and mud and I don’t even know what else!

dirty patio table #cleanup #VivaTowels


I clean this glass top table at least once a week; more often if my daughters want to do homework here, or if company is coming. And every week, I use a big wad of my regular brand of paper towels. First, cleaning and scrubbing off all that nature gives, and then going back and cleaning off all the lint the paper towels left. It’s a chore I don’t look forward to. 


gross glass table #cleanup #VivaVantage


 That’s why I was so excited to learn about the new Viva Vantage paper towels. They are said to have “great scrubbing power for everyday messes”. After seeing how dirty my patio table was again, I knew it was time for me to break up with my old paper towels and give Viva Vantage a try. I headed to my local Walmart, where I was happy to discover Viva Vantage was on sale at a much lower price than my regular brand. Score one for the family budget!


#VivaVantage paper towels at #Walmart
Viva Vantage paper towels at a great low price at Walmart.

Armed with my new paper towel scrubbing team, I went outside to face the table too tough to tame.


#VivaVantage paper towels #cleanup
Viva Vantage ready to take on this table

I felt the Viva Vantage paper towel noticing all its ridges and stretchiness  and thought, I bet I’ll need at least 4 of these to tackle this mess; but for the sake of experimentation, I’m going to try them one at a time to really give them a test. 


I spritzed on my usual glass cleaner and allowed it to set for a minute. 


time to clean dirty table #VivaTowels


 Then I pulled off just one Viva Vantage paper towel.



One paper towel challenge #VivaTowels
One Viva Vantage paper towel versus gunk

And, to my amazement- it was all I needed. Look at how all the ridges and flex-weave  held on to all the cat hair, dirt and grime!  


Grime is off the table #VivaTowels



The Viva Vantage held up to my scrubbing (it only got a couple tiny holes) and it had plenty of absorbing power left. If I’d had the time, I could have taken this same paper towel and start wiping down my chair arms.  Instead I chose to stand back and admire my pretty, shiny clean table! 



shiny, clean table thanks to #VivaTowels
Thanks to Viva Vantage towels, my table shines!


Thanks Viva Vantage paper towels for tackling my messy patio table. I'm hooked on your cleaning power. 

If you are ready to break up with your old paper towels and give Viva Vantage a try; head on over to your local Walmart or visit Walmart.com.


Disclosure: Many thanks to Viva Towels and Walmart for sponsoring today’s post.  I did receive compensation as a thank you for sharing my thoughts on Viva Vantage paper towels. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 


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Purex Laundry Detergent savings #cartwheel

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, August 22, 2014

I love being part of the Purex Insiders team so I can bring you great savings like this one. While I wasn't compensated  for sharing, I will be entered into a gift card giveaway.

I enjoy using Purex products, especially their laundry detergent. Not only does it work great, it's affordable and now you can save even more on Purex when you shop at Target.




Purex Laundry Degergent #save


All you have to do to save 10% off you next purchase of Purex at Target is to visit their cartwheel site by clicking here and add the savings to your cart. Easy! It will look like this:



Purex Laundry Detergent #cartwheel





Then you just show your bar code at checkout and you are done. There are some terms and conditions to share:
terms & conditions
Offer valid in store only. Limit no more than one manufacturer coupon, one Target coupon and one Cartwheel offer can be combined per item. Scan all other coupons before scanning your Cartwheel bar code in store. Each Cartwheel offer may be used for up to a maximum of 4 qualifying items per offer per transaction, unless otherwise noted. Limit of 1 Cartwheel bar code per transaction and 6 Cartwheel bar code transactions per day. Void if copied, scanned, altered, transferred, purchased, sold, or prohibited by law. Item(s) may not be available at all stores. Not valid in Canada. Offer value may not exceed value of item purchased. No cash value.


Here's the savings link again. 


I hope you enjoy shopping and saving with Purex and cartwheel. Please share in comments: On average, how many coupons do you use weekly?


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Sheer Cover Studio Makeup is a must try for Fall #FlawlessFinish

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, August 21, 2014

I love playing with makeup and enjoy wearing a fully done, natural face when I’m out of the house. I do have a few brands that I’m loyal too, but I’m no makeup snob. If you looked inside my makeup bag you would find an eclectic blend of high and low priced products that I use and would recommend.  I recently received a complimentary set of makeup and brushes from Sheer Cover Studio in partnership with ModernMom Insiders and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you today, which are 100% my own.



Sheer Cover Studio #makeup #brushes


Sheer Cover Studio knows how to delight a gift recipient!  I really thought I was going to try their Perfect Shade Mineral Foundation and that’s it, so imagine my delight when I opened my box and saw all these products to play with. Be still my makeup loving’ heart and thank you Sheer Cover Studio! You can find out more about them by visiting their website and following them on Twitter. 

I couldn’t wait to dive in and give this line a try.  I will tell you right now, I was a little concerned about how well the mineral makeup would fair in the sweltering, humid weather we are having. I don’t normally use mineral makeup for this reason, so I was guardedly optimistic that Sheer Cover Studio Mineral makeup would work for me.

I applied my regular moisturizer (a must!) and after it soaked in; I applied a small amount of the Sheer Cover Studio’s Base Perfector Primer and allowed it time to soak in, which took a few minutes and some dabbing to get my face not to feel oily.  


Next I applied the Conceal and Brighten Trio. This product goes on silky smooth using either a concealer brush (I like how soft theirs is); or by dabbing with your fingertips. Because of the small amount used per application, I think it's worth  $24.95 and will probably buy this product again.


Sheer Cover Studio #Concealer and Brightening Duo #makeup


 A little bit of concealer and a sweep of the brightening highlighter and I was ready to try the Mineral Foundation. This mineral foundation is light and soft and everything you could want in a mineral foundation- but it was no match for this crazy southern heat and humidity! I finally had to concede and wipe off my face. I’ll try this product again in late fall/winter. 


Once I had applied my regular, stay put liquid foundation, I was ready to apply the Sun- Kissed Bronzing Minerals. So pretty and so easy to work with! The colors stay true on my face and never turned too orange out in the heat. The only downside to this product is the small amount you get for $26.95. I probably wouldn't pay that much to re-purchase it.

Sheer Cover Studio #Bronzer



Last but not least, I applied their lengthening mascara. Look at this brush.

Sheer Cover Studio #mascara


It covers all your lashes, even the little ones without clumping and stays put during the day, yet is easy to wash off.  I will have to practice a little more with the extending fibers Sheer Cover Studio sent me though. Having never used them, they felt a little odd on my lashes at first. Once I get the hang of applying the fibers, I’ll be using them on date nights. Their mascara price is right in line with department store mascara's at $16.95, so I may purchase this one again.


While all of the products I received for my review won't find themselves in regular rotation in my makeup bag, I really enjoyed using all of the Sheer Cover Studio products including the makeup brushes. 

Would you like to give this line a try? Then be sure to enter their contest for a year supply of makeup!


Before you go enter the giveaway, please share in comments: What is your can't live without makeup product? 







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Three tips to help foster positive energy in your home

in , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, August 18, 2014

As my blog name attests- I am a work at home Mom with a simple plan- to keep the focus on home. What I mean by that is- I strive daily to keep my “home” and all those who live here or visit top of mind. It isn’t always easy- this home/family/work balance I have, but it is worth every minute of planning and nurturing it takes. 

I enjoy being a home maker.  I enjoy cooking, gardening, cleaning (most things),
decorating and being downright domestic. It’s a part of who I am, just as much as running two small businesses are, which I also enjoy immensely.

When I was a teenager, I dreamed of having a Home. Not just a house, but a true home. One filled with lightness and love and happiness and laughter.  A home filled with feelings. Good vibes if you will. And I am blessed to have that home. 


Rainbow light #happyhome


Two of the highest compliments I’ve ever received on my homemaking skills were based on feelings these people felt while in our home. 

The first came from a dear friend of my Mother in laws who came to a family BBQ we were hosting. This fine lady stood in my kitchen drinking tea and laughing when out of the blue she said something along the lines of - "You know, you and your husband have something rare and beautiful here. You have a happy home and family. You can feel it, see it in every little detail and every sparkling room.” I couldn’t stop smiling as I thanked her for such a compliment. 


Maya Angelou #home #quote


The next compliment I received about our home came from a friend of my teenage daughters, who was here helping my daughter celebrate her birthday. We were hosting a sleep-over pizza party and our home was bursting with teenage girls! A fun time was had by all. I could tell by their faces, laughter and animated conversations well into the night.

The next morning, the girls got up and one by one, slowly gravitated to the den where my daughter and I were talking quietly. One girl, long blond hair in a mass of tangled curls, was sitting in my office chair happily eating a muffin when she said to me “I like it here Mrs. Linda”. “This is what a home is supposed to look and feel like- all happy and comforting.” “This is what a family is supposed to be.” I wanted to hug her, but instead I smiled and invited her over anytime she could come.

To these two people, years apart in age and time of visits, it was all about the energy, the feeling of our home and ultimately, me, the homemaker. These compliments mean that more often than not, I’m doing my job as homemaker correctly. And that to me is a blessing.


Are you a homemaker at heart who may need to refocus your energy? Do you think your home may be lacking in positive energy? You can change it!

Here are three quick tips to start you on your way:

  • Check your own feelings. Moms and wives- you are the heartbeat of your home, so you will reap what you sow. I know this all too well. I was in a foul mood for a brief time on Saturday. I took my whole family down that stinky road with me until my funk moved on. Even though it was short lived, it dampened the mood and impacted the energy in our home for at least an hour afterwards.

  • Respect your home. Tidy up a little each day, or at night when you get home from work.  Make a list of chores and delegate as needed. Yes- a level of clutter is to be expected and accepted in everybody’s home- but don’t let it take over! Clutter frustrates and makes for bad energy.

  • Love the home you have now. Not the home you dream of. A favorite life quote of mine comes from Sheryl Crowe’s song- Soak up the Sun:  “It’s not having what you want; it’s wanting what you’ve got.” This goes for your home too.  Whether you are renting a two bedroom condo or living in a 3 bedroom with a mortgage – this is what you have and you need to accept it, small bathrooms and all. 



Our Home #welcome


There are tons of remodeling projects we want to do to our mid-size Ranch, but until we have the time and the money at the same time- I’m going to love this home, just the way it is. And you will be welcomed into my less than perfect home if ever our paths cross and hopefully, you will like what you feel from the moment you step out of your car and long after you drive away.


Please share with me in comments: What room in your home has the most positive energy, or gives you the most joy when you enter?
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