Family Photos

I’m a picture freak!! I am constantly taking pictures of the kids or of the pretty sites I see. But all too seldom, do I step in the picture myself when I have all the kids together at once (which happens less and less as the years go by!!)

In fact, I think we only have less than a handful of pictures with all of us together.

We’re an awfully good looking family, if I do say so myself….lol. Of course, I am just a little biased ;)

The older the kids get, the fewer chances that I find us all together. My 19 year old is off doing his tattoos, (both giving and receiving….at last count I think he had 8 or 9!) busy writing research papers for college, working full time, and spending time with his girlfriend.

My 17 year old daughter is always working; either at her day job or at a modeling photo shoot, or she’d top busy hanging out with her friends at the beach.

They both keep very busy schedules for their age, and I’m very proud of how hard they work, before they play!!!

My younger three: 14, 10 and 5...well they are around all the time, and I have tons and tons of wonderful pictures of the three of them doing everything you can imagine, but mostly…skateboarding!!!

From here on out, I am going to challenge myself to take a family picture or four, every single time the six of us are together!!

I always remember my mom before she died, wanting my sister, her and I to go to Walmart to have a family photo taken, nothing fancy...just us in our everyday clothes, but we just never made the time, we just never got around to it…and now…well, now it’s just too late. And that is what I don’t want to happen here. I don’t want to keep saying we are going to do it, I’m going to actually do it!!

I want to be in some of these pictures that I have all over the house, on every wall, on every table, on every shelf…all over the house I have pictures of the kids…and I’m hardly in any of them…in fact three of them to be exact. Well no more!!!

FAMILY PICTURES GALORE…that’s my new motto!!!

Do you have a favorite family or friend photo??? Paste it here if you like or send it to my email (soklad@hotmail.com), I’m thinking of making a collage for my blog…of my followers and their loved ones!!

Have a wonderful day!!

And….go take a picture of your loved ones!!!

~Steph

The Weekend

It’s the little things….

Earlier as I was sitting under a shade tree, feeling the fresh mowed grass with my bare feet, reading a good book, and listening to my two youngest boys playing with other kids from our neighborhood at the small little park that everyone chipped in to have built on an empty lot…I realized that it really is the small things that matter so much.

- I was sitting there watching my five year old, make new friends and show off his amazing “Spider-man” capabilities and also how good he is at the monkey bars and I was just smiling away ;)

- I was able to enjoy the gorgeous blooming flower bush next to me, that each time the wind blew my way, put off a nice, refreshing scent.

 

- I was looking into the beautiful blue sky, and making pictures out of the clouds, like I use to do as a child. I saw animals, faces, etc…but most of all… I saw HOPE. Hope that my children will grow up and be able to enjoy the smaller things in life, and realize that it isn’t about how much money you have, who has the most toys, who has the biggest house, or the nicest car!!

 

It’s about the love we feel for each other and the little ways that we find to show it. You know, maybe by bringing home a hand-picked bouquet of flowers instead of buying a dozen roses…or making a nice hand-made gift with things you have around the house, instead of spending money at the store for something that everyone has. A handmade gift is unique and to me, and really more special than the store bought ones. To me, it’s like that person really took time to think of me, and to do something little for me….To me…that is HUGE!!!! To me that is LOVE!!

Remember to always take time for the little things…..you never know what you might be missing.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

~Steph

Friday Follow....

Today I'm taking part in the Social Parade. I hope you'll join me!!

Smart & Trendy Moms

http://www.smartandtrendymoms.com/2010/08/social-parade-follow-on-friday-827.html

To participate.

* Follow the blog in the first spot(That is this one!). I will follow all on the linky as time allows! All blogs participating must post about Social Parade every week.

* Link-up your blog post for "It's a Social Parade" that you made on your blog. See the F.A.Q and Updates for help

* Follow as many as you like commenting on their POST as you do so they can follow back!

* If you do not make a post and link that up, it is unlikely that someone will search around for a post to comment on.

The Rules!

*Absolutely no links to other blog hops or hops like this!

*No Porn!

*No Giveaways!

*No other crap!

*These rules ensure a little bit of fun!

 

http://www.smartandtrendymoms.com/2010/08/social-parade-follow-on-friday-827.html 

And the winner is....

Today I finally got around to picking winners for three of my giveaways. I will email the winner and give them a week to get back to me with their mailing address before I choose another.

Congrats to the winners!!!

Freeman Facial Mask goes to Janelle

Janelle said... Their apricot mask sounds interesting also love anything with coconut!

Congrats, Janelle!!!

Julia London’s “One Season of Sunshine” goes to Heidi330

heidi330 said... HI, I'm a follower...

I'm reading right now a series from Jenna Black, The Devil Inside, The book starts out with action and only gets faster. With characters you cant help but love and those you love to hate. Morgan is a strong herione who will have you cheering her on.

Congrats Heidi!!!

(Lucky you...you have once again won on my site!!)

Nora Robert’s “Sweet Rains” goes to karenk

karenk said... i'm interested in this novel...thanks for the chance to read it :)

i'm a follower

Congats karnek!!

 

CONGARTS TO ALL!!
ENJOY YOUR WINNINGS!!
Have a great day!

~Steph

Book Contests/Sweepstakes.....

Today I was looking through my favorite book review magazine, “BookPage.” I get it free at my library every month.

This month’s copy has two great contests/sweepstakes that I thought you might be interested in entering.

First, for those of you who like Penny Vincenzi (author of ‘Sheer Abandon’, ‘An Absolute Scandal’ and more) ---OR---for those of you who just like to enter contests...lol (me, me, me!)

Here’s your chance to win:

Grand prize: a luxury gift basket of Britain’s finest foods.

----OR---

Ten runner’s up will win a copy of three of Penny’s books.

Enter at bookpage.com

AND…

 

WIN FREE BOOKS FOR A YEAR SWEEPSTAKES

Brought to you by both BookPageXTRA and The Observer’s Very Short List.

Here's your chance to win:

 

Grand prize: Free books for a year. Four books a month for a year. And a $100 gift card.

2nd Prize: Ten books and a $50 gift card.

3rd Prize: A copy of “Body Work” by Sara Paretsky. (20 winners)

Enter at  bookpage.com  

Scroll down to bottom of page!! 

Have a great day!!

~Steph

"Board Book" giveaway for your little ones....(CLOSED)

(GIVEAWAY!!!)

http://ammobooks.com/

And, last but not least, I also received a copy “Alternative ABC’s” from http://ammobooks.com/ This is a cute little toddler board book to help the children learn their ABC’s. Now, this isn’t the typical ‘A is for apple,” learn your ABC’s children’s book. This one is more geared to the modern day…for instance, in this book, ‘D is for dude’ and ‘Y is for yoga.’ So, as you can see it’s definitely ‘alternative’ as the title promises.

Some of the other titles that Ammo offers are: ABC’s by Charley Harper; The Red Shoes by Gloria Fowler; and Lulu (a beautiful 11 x 14, 192 page book of art) by Lulu Kwiatkowski.. They also have many photography books, as well as some limited edition books that you might not want to miss out on, such as “Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I Deserve” by Wayne White.

Ammo was generous enough to also provide me with a copy of ‘Alternative ABC’s’ for one of my followers. I’m going to make the requirements to enter sort of ‘alternative’ like the title, lol. First of all you must follow me on GFC to enter. Now for the requirements and possible (if you want them) extra entries.

Mandatory Entry

(1st) There are two parts to the first entry…both must be completed to qualify…and before any extra entries!! Tell me what your “A” would stand for. Example…”A is for anxiety…lol” This is my example, you must use your own…AND .tell me another book that interests you at Ammo.com that I haven’t already mentioned.

Extra entries

(1) Subscribe to my blog via email ---1 entry

(2) Follow Ammo on twitter @Ammobooks  ---1 entry

(3) Follow me on twitter @soklad ---1 entry

(4) Blog about this giveaway and link back to me .---5 entries!!!

(5) Make a purchase at http://ammobooks.com/  ---5 entries!!!

Good luck!!

Have a wonderful day!!

~Steph

P.S.  Don't worry Janelle....I still have your three entries :)

Meet Me and Many Others this Marvelous Monday.....bloghopping

Hey everyone...I'm busy putting these book reviews and giveaways together for next week...so stop back soon.

I was blog hopping tonight anyways, and I came across a fellow blogger, also from Michigan....and since I am right this minute hanging out in Muskegon, MI, I figured I might as well make it official and join her Marvelous Monday Blog Hop.

AND...I THINK YOU SHOULD JOIN US AS WELL....

http://mommy2twogirls.blogspot.com/2010/08/marvelous-monday-blog-hop.html

 

I mean what have you got to lose...well besides a few minutes..um hours or so!!!

And...you'll find some great new blogs, and meet some great new people, and maybe even get signed up to hopefully win some really great giveaways!!

Have a great night, everyone!

~Steph

BOOK GIVEAWAY...enter soon :)..."Gunsmith's Gallantry" (CLOSED)

Book Review

“Gunsmith’s Gallantry”

By Susan Page Davis

Pt 2 in “Ladies’ Shooting Club” series

Now, I must admit, that I NEVER read the back of the book first!! I think it tells to much and for me, it kind of ruins the story. I know they say never judge a book by its cover, but quite often, that is exactly what I do!! In the case of this book, I won it in a giveaway and to be truthful, I haven’t really read to many historical / inspirational fiction books. But after finishing this one…I’ll be reading MANY more J I must say that I was hooked right in the beginning of the book, and was completely glued to it half way in J

When I first picked this book up I had no idea it was a second in a series. I’m sure I would have liked to have read “The Sheriff's Surrender” first, but this book read perfectly fine as a stand alone title. I mean I didn’t feel that I was missing any information or wondering what might have happened in the first book to lead up to anything happening in this one, which was great on my part.

I believe that this book will appeal to readers of many different genres. Obviously since this book takes place in 1886, it appeals to the historical novel readers. This book also has quite a bit of romance, drama, suspense/mystery, inspiration and even some comedy here and there.

Enough of my babbling….. and on to the review already!! .

Susan does an absolutely wonderful job of having just enough characters in this book. She includes many people from the community that you get really familiar with throughout the book; just enough, so that you are never bored and/or only reading about one or two main characters. Yet, she also, doesn’t have too many characters so that you feel you are overloaded and keep track of who’s who.

I’ll start off by telling you a little about this “Ladies’ Shooting Club” that the women in the community have gotten together and formed. These women figure they want to be prepared at all times in case of any type of an emergency. They want to feel comfortable with the fact that they can help protect themselves, their family, their neighbors, and even their businesses should they find themselves under attack. These women strongly believe that this task shouldn’t only be left up to the men!! The club is made up of women from all walks of life. They have different attitudes, different personalities, and different professions and / or backgrounds. But this club not only betters their shot, it also helps these women to form some very special bonds with some of the other women, that most likely wouldn’t have happened if not for this club.

Once all the excitement starts happening ( I mean, when they start putting those guns to real use, not just going up against each other in shooting contests at the neighborhood get-togethers. ) The actual gun-fight scene was played out so realistically, it had me on the edge of my bed (feet curled up, teeth clenched, eyes squinting…lol) to see who and who wouldn’t be hit! Of course we all know that a gun fight between a bunch of no-good, criminal cowboys against the whole community is bound to end up with some fatalities…but I won’t ruin it for anyone…you’ll have to read it yourself to see who makes it out alive.

                                                            http://susanpagedavis.com/

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Susan has so generously offered a copy of “Gunsmith’s Gallantry” to one of my lucky followers!!

I’m so excited for you to win and read this book, I just know you will like it as much as I did ;)

Here’s how to enter: First, you must complete the mandatory entry before doing any extra entries.

Mandatory Entry:

"Like" Susan on facebook and leave her a message telling her that "4 the luv of Sanity" sent you!!  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Page-Davis/139580589399172?v=wall 

Extra Entries:

 ** Visit Susan's website and enter her monthly contest on her homepage. http://www.susanpagedavis.com/index.html

** Leave a comment here telling us another one of Susan's book you'd like to read and why?

** Follow my blog via GFC

** Subscribe to my blog via email.

** Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/soklad

** Tweet about this giveaway (you can do this once per day!!)

** Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link.  (5 entries)

Good luck to everyone!! This contest will end on September 5th!! Prize will come straight from the author!!

~Steph

Friday's Tea and a Book Review..."Gunsmith's Gallantry"

Oh, how I love to just sit down with a nice hot cup of tea and a book. I could relax like this for hours...days, really :)

Book Review



“Gunsmith’s Gallantry”
By Susan Page Davis
Pt 2 in “Ladies’ Shooting Club” series

Now I must admit, that I NEVER read the back of the book first!! I think it tells to much and for me, it kind of ruins the story. I know they say never judge a book by its cover, but quite often, that is exactly what I do!! In the case of this book, I won it in a giveaway and to be truthful, I haven’t really read to many historical / inspirational fiction books. But after finishing this one…I’ll be reading MANY more J I must say that I was hooked right in the beginning of the book, and was completely glued to it half way in J


When I first picked this book up I had no idea it was a second in a series. I’m sure I would have liked to have read “The Sheriff's Surrender” first, but this book read perfectly fine as a stand alone title. I mean I didn’t feel that I was missing any information or wondering what might have happened in the first book to lead up to anything happening in this one, which was great on my part.


I believe that this book will appeal to readers of many different genres. Obviously since this book takes place in 1886, it appeals to the historical novel readers. This book also has quite a bit of romance, drama, suspense/mystery, inspiration and even some comedy here and there.


Enough of my babbling….. and on to the review already!! .


Susan does an absolutely wonderful job of having just enough characters in this book. She includes many people from the community that you get really familiar with throughout the book; just enough, so that you are never bored and/or only reading about one or two main characters. Yet, she also, doesn’t have too many characters so that you feel you are overloaded and keep track of who’s who.


I’ll start off by telling you a little about this “Ladies’ Shooting Club” that the women in the community have gotten together and formed. These women figure they want to be prepared at all times in case of any type of an emergency. They want to feel comfortable with the fact that they can help protect themselves, their family, their neighbors, and even their businesses should they find themselves under attack. These women strongly believe that this task shouldn’t only be left up to the men!! The club is made up of women from all walks of life. They have different attitudes, different personalities, and different professions and / or backgrounds. But this club not only betters their shot, it also helps these women to form some very special bonds with some of the other women, that most likely wouldn’t have happened if not for this club.


Once all the excitement starts happening ( I mean, when they start putting those guns to real use, not just going up against each other in shooting contests at the neighborhood get-togethers. ) The actual gun-fight scene was played out so realistically, it had me on the edge of my bed (feet curled up, teeth clenched, eyes squinting…lol) to see who and who wouldn’t be hit! Of course we all know that a gun fight between a bunch of no-good, criminal cowboys against the whole community is bound to end up with some fatalities…but I won’t ruin it for anyone…you’ll have to read it yourself to see who makes it out alive.

http://susanpagedavis.com/

Stop by Susan's website and take a look at all the great stuff she has. And also check out her latest books to come out!!

As always, have a wonderful day!!

~Steph

Thoughtful Thursday.....

Today I’m going to do some of my thoughtful things online. Usually the kiddos and I go out and do random things for random people, often times they have no idea who helped them, and this is what makes us feel even better about it. We know we did it, and that’s all that matters!! We don’t feel the need to be acknowledged for every good deed that we do for someone. Sometimes I think it is the anonymousness that makes it even more fun!!!

So what prompted me to do my thoughtfulness online this time?? Another person’s blog post!! Recently her and her husband had to put money in the parking meter and when they parked they realized they still had an hour from someone else’s money on their meter, but the one next to them had expired, so the wife put the money in that one instead. This caused a little “talk…shall we call it” between her and her husband about whether or not this constituted a “good deed.”

Here’s her story…..

http://menonewmom.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-thought-it-was-good-deed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MenopausalNewMom+%28MENOPAUSAL+NEW+MOM%29

I completely side with her...it was definitely a “good deed!!” So what if the owner of that car never knows who might have saved them from a parking ticket, but I bet they appreciate the thoughtfulness of that really nice anonymous stranger who was nice enough to help them out, JUST BECAUSE!!

Readers….what do you think?? Was this a good deed?? Let her know……

While you’re at it….become a new follower of hers, she’s good for at least a laugh a day :)

http://menonewmom.blogspot.com/  

-----------------------------

I’m also going to promote a couple of great giveaways that are going on right now at other peoples blogs…this not only shows you some great giveaways that you might not have known about and win you some great swagg, it might get these blogs some more followers, and it also might count as thoughtfulness on my part as well as get myself some extra entries in these same giveaway drawings…lol. You know, kill two birds and all that.....lol

-------------------------

By now, most of you with children, and many without probably already know that Nanny McPhee is back in the much anticipated sequel “Nanny McPhee Returns.” In theaters August 20th, 2010.

In honor of this great movie event, Cakeblast is hosting a giveaway prize package which includes a youth t-shirt, a crayon wheel, a notebook, and a lunchbox.

This time around, Nanny McGhee (Emma Thompson) is helping a single mom (like me…lol) played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. (I just love Maggie. She is so talented. I own every movie she has ever been in…I think.) Anyways…I just know that the sequel is going to be as big of a hit as the first one was, if not bigger!!!

Ok, Ok…enough blabbing on my part…let me get to the only stuff you REALLY need to know.

Just stop by Cakeblast at http://cakeblast.com/topics/giveaways/  and enter to win this great prize package.

There are like (14???) chances to win……and three, yes three people will be lucky enough to win this prize package. What are you waiting for??? Get over to Cakeblast. Larry, the blog owner is great. I think you will really like his blog. Become a follower while you‘re at it!!…..RIGHT AFTER YOU FINISH READING MY WHOLE POST….lol.

--------------------

Another great giveaway at another great blog.

Experimental Mommy from The Not-So-Blog is hosting a great giveaway from O Cedar.

http://www.thenotsoblog.com/

The O Cedar Pro-mist Floor Cleaning System is wonderful for both wet and dry messes.

This product has a refillable bottle so that you can choose your own favorite cleaner or even just use water if you wish.

It also has reusable micro fiber pads that can survive up to 100 washes and a semi-disposable pad for spills that can either be washed for small spills or tossed for really messy spills.

Hurry over to http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2010/08/o-cedar-promist-floor-cleaning-system-review-and-giveaway/  to enter.

One great thing I found about this giveaway is that you can have unlimited entries for tweeting about this giveaway…yes unlimited…as long as you have at least 50 followers on your twitter account.

Anyways…twitter or not…go enter….there are plenty of ways to enter.

Good luck!! I’m on my way to re-tweet right now…you can only imagine the messes my five children and I can make in a day :)

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!

~Steph

Wednesday blog hop

Hey friends...today I am catching up on some editing jobs and then I am going to post a bunch of these book giveaways that I have...so make sure to stop back soon to enter....

Here is a new site I found...well actually she found me..lol.

Great way to find new blogs you will love and great way to get more followers for yours!!

Link yourself up and enjoy your day!!

~Steph

Tuesday Tag-a-long

Be sure to link up to this week's Tuesday Tag-a-long on Twee Poppets Blog.

http://tweepoppets.blogspot.com/2010/08/tuesday-tag-along-81010.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TweePoppets+%28Twee+Poppets+Review+and+Giveaway%29

Get to know some new blogs.

Get more followers for your blog.

Get to enter some giveaways.

Have fun!!

~Steph

In my mailbox, a Peek-A-Book, and....A GIVEAWAY!!!

In my mailbox…. I don’t know about you, but I just love it when I open my mail and find a bunch of good swagg, and…NO bills, lol. Today, I received three packages, one letter from an old friend, and absolutely no bills! How much better can it get??

What I received:

(1) A t-shirt from http://www.fibers.com/

(2) An inspirational fiction book for myself (PEEK-A-Book!!!)

(3) A child’s board book from http://ammobooks.com/  (GIVEAWAY!!!)

(1) I received a ridiculously cool “Karma” t-shirt from http://www.fibers.com/ that I had actually won from a giveaway on one of the many blogs I read daily.

I had won a $25 gift certificate and I was able to pick and choose the type of shirt (t-shirt, tank top, hoodie, etc) the color (too many to mention) and the design (again, way too many to mention.) After much deliberating back and forth…I finally decided on a black tank top with a teal blue Karma design with the word printed underneath the design. I absolutely love it. The tank-top is made of wonderful material, it is so soft and comfortable. And, even though I haven’t washed it yet, it looks as if the design isn’t going to peel right off in the washing machine. So, needless to say, I will definitely be returning to fibers.com to design some more clothing for myself and others. And I most definitely recommend them to any of you looking for that “perfect shirt” that you can see in your head, but can’t find at the stores anywhere!!

(2)  I received a copy of “The Sister Wife” by Diane Noble. This is the first in the “Brides of Gabriel” series.

Peek-A-Book

“The Sister Wife”

By Diane Noble

(A Peek-A-Book is just a little look at what I am currently reading!!)

Ok, Ok...so about "The Sister Wife," I was completely hooked by the second page. And as many of you may know...I don’t give books much of a chance before I put them down…I only read the first chapter and if by then, it hasn’t caught me…I don’t finish it!! Sometimes, but not often, I well return to it later and give it a second chance, just in case I was in a weird mood the first time, and just didn’t realize it.

But as I said….I totally knew this book definitely was a keeper by page 2. I’m completely hooked and expect to have it finished by the end of the night ;) This is my first book about the Mormon’s way of life. I am very excited to learn as much as I can about them. I love to learn about new religions and see what the similarities and differences are in their beliefs compared to others.

So far I can tell that Mary Rose is being forced by the church to accept the fact that her husband is to marry another wife today. Mary Rose is contemplating running off instead of sticking around and being forced to share her husband with another woman….and just then…she goes into labor….

At this point…the book goes back to a year before to tell us how Mary Rose got herself into this type of predicament to begin with….talk about suspenseful…how can I be expected to put the book down before finishing it?? LOL.

Full review to follow SHORTLY!! *big smiles*

At least on nights like these, I have my wonderful daughter who is more than willing to make her wonderfully delicious Shepherds Pie for all of us to enjoy for dinner tonight., lol!

For those of you who are interested in buying this book...and EVERYONE SHOULD....it's GREAT!!! Here are a couple of links where you can purchase this and other books by Diane Noble.

http://www.dianenoble.com/books/coming-soon/

http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=the+sister+wife&box=the%20sister%20wife&pos=-1  (Barnes & Noble)

(3) http://ammobooks.com/  (GIVEAWAY!!!)

And, last but not least, I also received a copy “Alternative ABC’s” from http://ammobooks.com/  This is a cute little toddler board book to help the children learn their ABC’s. Now, this isn’t the typical ‘A is for apple,” learn your ABC’s children’s book. This one is more geared to the modern day…for instance, in this book, ‘D is for dude’ and ‘Y is for yoga.’ So, as you can see it’s definitely ‘alternative’ as the title promises.

Some of the other titles that Ammo offers are: ABC’s by Charley Harper; The Red Shoes by Gloria Fowler; and Lulu (a beautiful 11 x 14, 192 page book of art) by Lulu Kwiatkowski.. They also have many photography books, as well as some limited edition books that you might not want to miss out on, such as “Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I Deserve” by Wayne White.

Ammo was generous enough to also provide me with a copy of ‘Alternative ABC’s’ for one of my followers. I’m going to make the requirements to enter sort of ‘alternative’ like the title, lol. First of all you must follow me on GFC to enter. Now for the requirements and possible (if you want them) extra entries.

(1st) There are two parts to the first entry…both must be completed to qualify…and before any extra entries!! Tell me what your “A” would stand for. Example…”A is for anxiety…lol” This is my example, you must use your own…AND .tell me another book that interests you at Ammo.com that I haven’t already mentioned.

Extra entries

(1) Subscribe to my blog via email ---1 entry

(2) Follow me on twitter http://ammobooks.com/  ---1 entry

(3) Make a purchase at http://ammobooks.com/  ---5 entries!!!

Good luck!!

Have a wonderful day!!

~Steph