Today I Was the Runner

Buying these this morning....

Got me this one FREE!!

  Thanks to the Starbucks Reward the Runner campaign.

So we were all very happy this morning!

(And I was celebrated at the Starbucks for being the Runner...

I love those people at the Glendale-Milford location...

shouting, "We have a Runner!")

Enjoy your weekend!

*If you are local and I don't know your Starbucks order, you are missing out!

You never know when I'll show up at your door with a treat...just saying.

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Discounted Wine? Yes, Please!

Most of you who know me well...know I love this:

 

 

Earlier this year I was at a lunch with a business partner and she clued me in on the best thing ever for a person like me.  A website that sells wine at a discounted price.  If you are a wine-lover and don't mind some extra emails, this is for you.  Because here is how it works.  They only sell one wine at a time and you are notified of the change by an email.  It is NOT an online store of multiple discounted wines.  Confused? 

 

From their website (www.wtso.com):

 

Who is WinesTilSoldOut?

WTSO.com is an online store that focuses on selling wine at 30%-70% off original retail prices. It started as an in-store department of the parent company that will remain nameless so we can continue to get these great wines at ridiculous prices and pass them on to you!

I see only one item. Do you sell anything else?

We sell one wine at a time from midnight eastern standard time until it is sold out.  We then present another offer until that one is sold out.  We continue this cycle for 24 hours but we rarely offer more than five wines per day.

Is shipping always free?

Yes!  As long as you buy the minimum number of bottles stated on the front page, shipping is free to wherever we can ship in the United States.

I didn't actually buy anything until about a week ago.  I watched and watched and watched.  And then I saw it...a pinot noir from Oregon...super cheap.  BINGO!  I'd hit the jackpot.  I finalized our order and hit submit.  The one thing to consider is that you have to buy multiple bottles for free shipping and there has to be a signature upon delivery.

The wine arrived quickly and was YUMMY.  And then another Oregon wine was offered and "submit" and then one named Stella and "submit" and then the hubby called and said, QUIT ORDERING WINE!!  Oops...I forgot he gets email notifications.  {sigh}

 

 

Seriously, Henry?

This sweet little guy from a few weeks ago?   

 

Um, he now thinks he's Spiderman.

 

For real.

 

So, I gave in and let him have a Spiderman

birthday celebration over the weekend.

 

At 2 it's cute.

 

If he were 8?  I might be annoyed.

 

(Yes, he's holding one of his new Spiderman action figures.)

 

And below is Spidey in action.

 

(He think's we are on Skype and keeps asking for my dad, "Papa Kennenny".

 

 
 

Certified

Bucket list...check!

I didn't truly understand the time, effort, and energy this would require when I started the program four weeks ago, but let's just say that five webinars, five papers, and the last two days of an intense practicum are now a wine bottle blur.

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Indianapolis Trip

Our vacation this summer has been unusual for us...we didn't plan a big one.  Andy and I took the girls to Florida to visit my dad in late March for a long weekend and then we were going to do a big trip this fall, but due to numerous circumstances, we've postponed it until next year.  But it's just not us to not pack up for a week and go somewhere.  It's felt a bit odd.

Therefore, we decided to take a quick get-away over to Indianapolis (about 1.5 hr drive for us) for a couple of days.  We got up on Sunday morning and drove straight to the zoo.  The kids loved it.  Andy and I thought it was a really nice zoo.  It was flat and I didn't have to lift the kids much to see the animals.  However, the dolphins were on "maternity leave".  So there wasn't a dolphin show, but we did get to view them so the kids weren't completely disappointed.  The annoying thing about their zoo is that they do not allow you to bring in food.  I understand why, but the kids didn't.  They are used to snacking through our zoo.  And lunch was definitely pricey.  The other major downer was the train ride.  Total disappointment.  It goes around the out-buildings of the zoo through some parking lots and we only saw one animal just as we arrived back at the station.  But, overall, I'd recommend a visit.




That evening we checked into our hotel downtown and the kids just love being in a hotel.  It's so exciting to them.  Stella thought it was the coolest thing ever to actually walk to dinner.  And the escalator?  Believe me, we rode it 100000000000 times.  Andy and I love the free drinks at the Manager's Reception each evening and the free yummy breakfast (big fans of Embassy Suites).  And we were so glad we opted for the hotel due to the suite-style.  It made going to bed so much easier to have the kids in a separate room.

Monday morning we headed to the Children's Museum as soon as it opened at 10:00 and didn't leave until 4:00.  It lived up to the hype.  It was so much fun.  All of the kids did great.  No major meltdowns.

Charlotte took advantage of every dress-up opportunity there was.  The girl was in HEAVEN.


And their behavior was rewarded at the gift shop.  Charlotte picked the most expensive accessory right away and stuck to it. Stella hemmed and hawed over what to get, but finally chose another over-priced purse.

Little buddy?  Totally my kid.  Picked the cheapest souvenir...a $1.45 car.  And he even slept with it.  He was definitely a fan of the current Hot Wheels exhibit.


Andy and I realized this was the first trip we took with any of our kids without help.  We normally are visiting his parents or my dad for our long-weekend trips.  Or we've taken grandparents with us on our bigger trips the last few years.  And we survived all alone!  Go us.

Where did you vacation this summer? 

Was it family friendly?

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For a Good Laugh

Here are two links I came across this week that made me laugh until I cried.

The One With The Fart:
http://hahasforhoohas.com/the-fart-that-almost-altered-my-destiny/

The One Where A Girl Shats On Frat Boys (only funny because she's ok in the end):
http://mylifeandkids.com/2012/08/finding-the-funny-29-and-im-in-the-powder-room/

And a quick picture of my crazy crew out for ice cream the other night...




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A Little of This and a Little of That

Things are busy around here...very busy. I'm at that point where I have lots of little snippets of things to blog about, but little time to do it and plan it out over a week. So here are a few lumped together. A random hodge-podge of updates.

Charlotte has been having a lot more "green" days than "red" days. Woo-hoo! She still remains my girly-girl. She lives in dress-ups at home and never leaves the house without accessories. Sunglasses and earrings shown below.

And she has started doing her own hair...wow...

We joined our neighborhood pool at the beginning of August. Yes, I said we would wait until next year, but the girls suddenly became fish. A true turn-around from Stella not even wanting to get her face wet in the bath tub in April. And...we LOVE the pool.

My Sea Salt Caramel obsession has gotten to where I'm sneaking it during lunch at work.  True story.  Sad, but true.

Maybe it's because my fridge looks like this lately...empty! But with the Green Bean being delivered every week...going to the store is sometimes forgotten. Um, the kids were BEGGING for milk the other day...oops.


And this shirt at Target made me chuckle.  I'm always looking for cycling t-shirts for Andy.  But I don't think this one is quite appropriate for a dad with three small kids to wear out and about to family adventures...


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Back to School Teacher Gifts?

This really is a post about Teacher Gifts...just keep reading!

Thus it begins...the end of my life.  Just kidding!  However, Stella does graduate from Preschool on Friday night.  Unlike most preschools that held this event in the spring, ours is right at the end of summer.  Since it is a daycare setting, the preschool curriculum does not end in May since the students don't typically leave for break.  It continues all summer long with fun summertime activities and themed weeks intertwined.  So Friday night will apparently be a big production with caps and gowns and songs that have been worked on for weeks in secret. 

I only put a frowny face on my board for me.  Stella is ready for kindergarten.  Actually, more than ready.  And I'm not really sad to see her go.  I know she's going to love it.  I'm sad to realize I will now be tied to a school schedule for many years to come.  My one day off each week will now have parameters...kindergarten hours.  And to me that's a bummer.  That's an end of a stage in life for me.  It means I have a school-ager.  Yikes. 


Kindergarten starts for us on August 28th.  I'm not nervous for her because it's only 2.5 hours a day.  I am, however, anxious to meet her teacher.  Being in the same daycare over the years, we've gotten to know all of the teachers and always knew who came next.  Transitioning to a new school with new-to-us staff is exciting, but a bit overwhelming. 


And now there are all of these cute little posts on Pinterest for Back to School crafts, class gifts, and teacher gifts.  Eek!  I hadn't even considered any of that.  For real.  I do have some parting gifts for her preschool teachers.  But all I've done so far for kindergarten is find a few "First Day of Kindergarten" printables to have her hold in her photo that morning.

I was always warned about giving teacher gifts.  So many people have reminded me that many kids can't or won't bring in things for teachers for back-to-school or birthdays or holidays.  So if you can't do it discreetly, don't do it all.  Because at this age it only makes other kids feel bad...whether their parents can't financially or just aren't creative or just don't care!  That the best thing was just to have the student write a nice note or draw a picture to show appreciation.  But how bad is it to add a little gift card in there every now and then to show your appreciation?

So, my question today is....Back to School gift for the teacher, yes or no? 

And if yes, what will you give??

Teachers!  Fill us in...what's the etiquette? 

What's the norm?

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Run, Do Not Walk

OMG! Seriously, this may become my new favorite indulgence. If you like caramel at all...this is for you! The swirls of sea salt caramel are plentiful. Although the chocolate covered caramel truffles are tiny, they still burst in your mouth. Yummy! The only bummer is that I didn't see it in pint-sized. Therefore, I quickly polished off the bigger container over the weekend (with Andy's help but I must admit he's not the one going back for seconds).

So, run, don't walk, to get yourself some!




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Fifty Shades of Grey Party Food and More

Last night I posted about the decorations and prizes for the Fifty Shades party.  Tonight is a real treat...what everyone brought!  Here are some photos from the evening.  I didn't capture everything (like the vanilla ice cream that we forgot to get out of the freezer..ugh, but the hubby was happy later since it was his favorite).  However, below is most of the stuff that related to the actual books.

 

Some dressed for the occasion... 

 

A Grey-inspired t-shirt:

 

A plum dress and a braid:

One woman brought photos of the actual Escala penthouse:

Another woman found the songs from the playlist mentioned in the book:

And there were more drinks to go with my Mojitos and the Sarasota:

And the food was a big hit.

"Stow Your Twitchy Palm and Try a Rod Instead":

Submissive Sub sandwiches:

Bow "Tied Up" Pasta Salad (my contribution):

And then the desserts!  YUM.

Mr. Grey's Birthday Cake:

Some Red Room Vines (with cable ties):



Vanilla Bean-Wa Cupcakes:

Um, yep...read it yourself:

Some Booty-licious Brownies:

Another yummy set of cupcakes that

had their own little tryst coming up the driveway:

And...the grand prize winner...

We all about fell over when this was pulled out:

 

This was such a fun party to host. 

I am really appreciative of all the ladies

who participated and had fun with it.

 

Fifty Shades of Grey Party Decor and Prizes

I started telling you about my Fifty Shades party HERE and then gave you some yummy summer drink recipes from it HERE.  What's next on the Fifty Shades party reveal?  Well, I just spent my extra time this evening watching two new-to-us episodes of Modern Family so tonight you will get just the party decor and prizes. 

 

If you want to have a great Fifty Shades of Grey party, you need grey/silver decor and lots of good prizes.  Some funny which make everyone laugh and some which turn the receiver crimson (trust me).

 

I had purchased 5 prize bags.  The contest was who could bring the best thing that tied back to the books - a drink, appetizer, dessert, etc.  I used the grey prize bags as some of my decoration.  I also threw some kisses on the tables.  Lucky for me a) I was shopping at Target again and b) the cute purple eye masks were in the $1 bin.  So I grabbed a lot of those for door prizes.

 

I also had book discussion questions scattered throughout.  And we discussed the book much more than I anticipated.  It was great conversation.

I got some "grey" balloons which looked more silver, but did the job.  Andy was disappointed I didn't just blow up condoms.  Then he was more disappointed that I hadn't even thought of it.  HA!  So there's another idea.

And the prizes?  Well, one lucky winner got pancake mix and syrup (related to the book - she eats a LOT of pancakes).  Another winner received the other book being talked about titled Bared to You.  Two winners got a special treat from the "special" pharmacy aisle at your local Walmart.  Yes, those pink and purple boxes shown below brought laughter, curiosity, and crimson faces.  And finally I got some cute coasters HERE on Etsy that were a huge hit.  Each lucky lady also snagged some grey nail polish.

So, what exactly won these great prizes?  Come back tomorrow. 

It's been a long day and it's time for me to HUSH.

 

The Sarasota - An Easy Summer Drink

I told you I was having a Fifty Shades party this past weekend.  Well, it was a blast if I do say so myself.  And I have a TON of pictures to prove it.  But that's the problem...I've got to get the pictures ready to post.  Pictures of prizes, decorations, food and more.  (Don't worry attendees...there will be no pictures revealing who was there.)

 

So watch for more posts later this week. 

 

First, a drink recipe or two.  I made this new-to-me Sarasota concoction along with my summer favorite...the Mojito.  If you'd like the recipes click HERE and HERE.